Lifelike And Posable
by PanicButton
Summary: ReidOCsomething less gross. A blossoming friendship against the backdrop of a very disturbing case for Aaron and Spence.
1. Chapter 1

Lifelike and Posable 

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

_I'm someone else, I'm someone new: Marilyn Manson_

Spencer had a wonderful evening. They had said goodnight in the car park, which was slightly disappointing but not the end of the world. He had gone home on a high and had fallen asleep content. It was Saturday now and today he decided that he would go for a long walk to the bookstore and find something to amuse his brain for the weekend.

He really wanted to make a phone call – but his date had insisted that he wait for the call. So he was waiting. Impatiently, constantly checking his cell and making sure the landline hadn't come unplugged, though in his heart he knew it hadn't. By Sunday evening he could hold off no longer and made a call. His stomach turned in excitement, wanting, needing to hear that voice again; that lovely accent, but it went straight to answerphone. He looked down at the cell phone in his hand and sighed. This really was to be expected. Someone like that wouldn't want to keep dating someone like him. This is understandable if not very disappointing.

Sunday night he went to bed and curled up and hugged his knees as he slept, and he had dreams of Hankel which made him whimper in his sleep.

Monday morning and he was on his way to work. Always standing room only on the morning subway, and he felt a hand touch his back and a voice in his ear. "Sorry I didn't call Spence. I wasn't sure – you know – if you wanted me to." That delicious accent made Spencer shudder and his stomach twist in a little knot.

Reid turned around so he was facing the voice and grinned. "Hey – no – it's alright, I understand."

The train shuddered to a stop. Reid's stop. "I'll see you then." That wonderful accent and Reid could feel himself getting off the train and watching the doors shut and the train was gone. He should have said he would call. He should have said it was OK to call. He should have said anything but what he did. He sighed deeply and turned jogging up the stairs on onto work.

……………

"Oh good – Morgan has left his paperwork for me again." He muttered to himself. The lovely high had been on had now dissolved into a feeling of self doubt and a big blob of insecurity. The date he had thought had gone so well, had obviously through other eyes been a failure. At least he hadn't taken it as far as a one night stand. He had that to be grateful for.

"Hey genius, have a good weekend?" Morgan's question was answered with a little scowl and the passing back of a pile of files. "I guess that's a 'no' then."

"I had a great weekend." He walked off to get some sugar and coffee.

Morgan stood and watched the retreating back. That wasn't the walk of a man who had scored. That was dead man walking. He glanced down at the folders and passed half back to Reid's in tray then pursued him to the coffee machine.

"Reid, need to talk to someone about it?" This was a genuine offer of support.

"There is nothing to talk about." Making his coffee with quick angry hands.

"Is it the nightmares again?" He really did look concerned.

Spencer picked up his mug and started to walk back to his desk. "I had exactly fifteen folders in my in tray. I will know if you have added to it."

"That's what is bothering you? Paperwork? Come on Reid this is me you're talking to."

Spencer sat at his desk and glanced at the twenty seven folders and sighed. "Yes Morgan, I am still having nightmares." He pulled his pen out of his jacket pocket. "I am alright, really."

"You know if you need to talk about it. I know you would have talked to Gideon."

Spencer looked up and chewed on his bottom lip. "Thank you Morgan."

Derek sat down at his desk and watched Reid. He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "This isn't about nightmares is it?"

Reid put his pen down again and looked across to Morgan. "You are insufferable. You just don't give in do you?" Reid leaned on his elbows and rested his chin in his hands.

"I knew it! So tell me. Dish the dirt." Morgan was grinning.

"There is nothing to say." A sigh and he picked up his pen again.

………………..

Hotch had called them to the roundtable room. There was a case, which will be followed up with more paperwork, Reid was thinking. They needed time off just to cover all the administration they had to cover and in some cases cover everyone else's too.

JJ stood with her remote in her hand and Hotch sat with hard eyes looking at a folder in front of him.

"Right," JJ started, "The reason we have been handed this case will become evident. A series of drug overdoses. They are not all from the same social background. They are not all found in the same situation. They have all died in the same manner however, and there are the obvious links between them all. The first. Jacob Levers – twenty nine – heroin overdose. The needle was still in his arm. He was found by school children in an ally way next to the school. The next one Seb Harker - twenty four – again heroin overdose – needle still in his arm, he was found on his bathroom floor by his sister. Then Salvadore Montal aged twenty six found in his bath tub by his boyfriend. Maurice Veche – twenty eight – found by a patron of the bar he had been drinking in on the men's room floor. Trent Fipps twenty seven – laying on his bed, found by his boyfriend and last for now, Larry Lamburg twenty eight, found in an ally way by a passer by."

"All heroin overdoses?" Prentiss asked. She got a nod "How do we know they are connected?"

"A note was left with each victim." JJ passed around the folders now and clicked up the first picture.

Reid sat and opened the file. There was a copy of the note in the front of it. _'Agent Aaron Hotchner, It should have been one of yours.'_ Reid started to flick through the photos. He could feel his skin crawling with what he was looking at. Tall skinny men of around his own age. The bodies had all been posed and notes said that they had all been wearing similar clothing. Reid suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"This is a threat. This unsub is goading us." Derek was talking but Reid was finding it hard to concentrate. He glanced up to see everyone looking at him.

"What?" He looked over at each of the faces looking right back at him.

Hotch had his unreadable face on.

Morgan was looking concerned? Was that a concerned face?

JJ was avoiding looking at Reid and was fiddling with her file.

Prentiss sighed and picked up the note and started to read it.

"This is local. Reid, stay close. I really don't like the look of this." Hotch finally said.

………………

They divided up between the SUV's. Reid ended up in the back with Prentiss. Fine with him, it would give him time look over the file more carefully without any distractions. He wasn't sure what he had done to offend Emily so early on in their working relationship, but she just didn't seem happy with him. Fine – not a problem, he didn't feel like chatting anyway. He realised he was sitting twisting his hands on his lap and looking out of the window and not actually looking at the file. He was thinking of the train and that voice and of all the things he should have said.

……………

Reid stood with the team and looked down at Jacob Levers. He had collar length light brown wavy hair. He was wearing grey cords and a dark green shirt with a grey sweater-vest over the top. The sleeve on his right arm had been rolled up and a needle was still sticking in his arm. There was no sign of a tourniquet of any kind. He was laying on his left side, his right arm resting across his chest, his left hand was nestling under his chin. Reid felt a sudden twist in his stomach and the need to get out of the ally way and be sick somewhere. As he turned to leave Derek caught hold of his arm.

"Hey buddy – don't wander off." He glanced at the grey face of Dr Reid and quickly led him away from the crime scene.

………….

The next scene was at the apartment of Seb Harker. He had been found on the bathroom floor. They stood and look again at the macabre scene. Seb was fully dressed but not in his shoes. He had odd socks on. One plain black the other black and white stripes. He was sitting on the floor with his back against the toilet. He had his right sleeve rolled up. His knees were bent upwards and his arms wrapped around his legs. His head was down and his wavy brown hair was covering his face. They could see the needle in his arm, but it looked like it had been placed there afterwards.

"Hotch." Reid's voice shattered the spooky silence. "If notes were left at all scenes, and if they were addressed to you, why have we only just found out about this?"

Aaron looked over to Reid whose eyes were fixed on the vision in front of him. "This all happened last night." Hotch was watching Reid carefully.

"Six in one night?" Spencer stepped back out of the room. Hotch could see his hands twisting and the odd expression on his face. "Are they – are they all posed?" He received a small nod as a reply.

…………

Salvadore Montal's body had been removed from the bathtub, but the photos showed him with his right arm dangling over the side and his head of wet hair facing the wall.

…………

The bar where the body of Maurice Veche was awaiting them had been closed and taped off. They again stood and looked, and again Reid felt like someone was leaving him nasty messages. This one was a bit more obscure for the team, but blatantly obvious for Reid. The man was on his knees facing the wall with his head resting on the yellow wall tiles. Again the right sleeve was rolled up and this arm was resting on his legs. The other hand was between his forehead and the wall. Again brown wavy hair hid the face.

Reid stood and looked. The hand twisting becoming harder. He looked at the team members who were again looking back at Reid.

Hotch spoke "Reid have you ever been to this bar before?"

Spencer slowly nodded his head and then turned and left the building. Morgan again close behind him. "Don't keep walking off man." A gentle hand on Reid's arm.

"There are two more." Was Reid's reply. "I need to see the other two."

……...

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**

**A/N: Let me know if you would like me to continue.**


	2. Chapter 2 Messages and Phone Calls

Messages and Phone calls.

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

They drove in silence. Again Reid sat and stared out of the car window and Emily sat next to him wondering what was going on inside the young profilers head. She knew this was freaking her out, so how was he dealing with this? He had a strange way of coping with things.

Trent Fipps lived in a big studio apartment. He was a city lawyer. Good money, good home. His boyfriend had found him when he came over wondering why he wasn't answering his cell.

He was sprawled on his front on the bed. Fully clothed. Odd socks again - this time one yellow and black and the other green. His right arm was hanging over the side of the bed with the sleeve obviously rolled up and the needle stuck in at a strange angle. Again it looked like the needle had been placed there afterwards for effect. His left arm was bent and above his head of wavy brown hair.

"It says here that he was found by his boyfriend. Are all the victims gay?" Emily was looking at Hotch.

"That's an unknown. JJ is checking it out."

Reid again stood staring at the set before him. "This unsub is very organised. To be able to set the stage so well and to do it so many times in one night. This is either more than one person working to orders, or someone who has been planning this for a long time."

Emily turned to look at Reid. "Does this mean anything to you Reid? You said you had been to that bar before, what about this apartment?"

Spencer shook his head. "No I have never been here before. Not until now." His eyes locked on the body of the young man on the bed. "This makes no sense. Why do this and send the messages to Hotch? Who is the threat for? Me or Hotch?"

"I just think you need to be over cautious Reid. I don't want you going anywhere alone." Thoughts of what happened to Elle flew through the memories of all but Emily.

He nodded slowly. "One more. The address is just around the corner." And turned and left the apartment.

Morgan looked at Hotch. "I will stay with him tonight if you want. Unless you wanted to but someone has to."

"I will arrange to have a marked car outside too. Where has he gone?" They looked around to see Reid was not there anymore.

"I told him to stop wandering off!" Derek ran out in the direction of the next scene "Reid! Wait"

Spencer walked in a dream down the stairs towards the ally way where the body of Larry Lamburg was still laying. He could faintly hear Morgan calling him. He ducked under the yellow tape flashing his badge at the police standing around.

The officer looked up when he saw someone coming and did a small almost un-noticeable double take.

"Dr Reid." He muttered as he flashed his badge again and stood looking at the crime scene. He felt a hand on his back and heard Derek's voice again.

"Stop running of kid." And a sharp intake of breath.

Larry was in a dumpster. He was fully clothed and curled up as though sleeping. The sleeve and the needle the same as the other victims. His head was tucked in and the hair covered what small amount of face which might have been seen.

Reid stepped up to the dumpster with his latex gloves on and looked. Derek was sure he heard a small whimper.

"Hey Reid, you don't need to be doing this. Hotch will understand." A hand tight on Reid's shoulder.

"I can still do my job. This is just a game." But Spencer looked very shaken and as he turned to walk away Morgan was sure the hand across the eyes was to wipe away a tear not to swat a fly.

"I didn't say you couldn't do your job. I just meant you don't need to be here."

"I know what you meant."

……………..

Derek made the coffee while Reid went and sat in the only chair in his small apartment.

"You need to talk about this Reid." He called through.

"What's to talk about?" His voice was low and quiet.

"What we saw today. We can start there. The bar."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Morgan came back into the lounge stuffed with bookshelves and placed the two mugs on the coasters on the small coffee table.

"I didn't freak you out even slightly?" Derek already knew the answer to that.

Reid picked up his mug and sipped at the sweet drink. "Yes it freaked me out. I still don't want to talk about it."

They sat in silence for a short while. Just relaxing after the day. They both jumped slightly when Reid's cell bleeped. He pulled it slowly out of his pocket and looked at the caller display. Morgan watch as a smile almost reached Spencer's mouth. A small twitch.

"Hey." He said into the phone. "Not really – I had a bad day – no – Yes! No I didn't mean it to sound like that." A long pause as he listened. "Ah no – tonight isn't a good idea." Pause again. "Yes you too." And he flipped it closed again. He looked at Morgan sitting on the floor. "You don't have to stay you know. I don't have a couch or spare bed or anything. You are welcome to the chair though, and I have throws and pillows."

"Was that your date?"

Reid blinked and stood up. "No – if it was a date I would be going out. I am getting you something to keep you warm and then going to bed. That's not a date."

"Why are you being so secretive? Tell me all about her." Reid spun back and looked at Morgan.

"There is nothing to tell. There is no date. I am stuck in here with you because some mad man has killed lots of guys with the same colour hair as me. That's it. Nothing else to say on the subject so please leave it."

Morgan watched the blankets and pillows get hurled through Reid's bedroom door and then the door was slammed. Morgan raised an eyebrow and went to pick the things up. He dragged them back to the big chair and sat thinking.

……………

Reid shrugged off his clothes and slipped under the sheets. He stayed awake for most of the night afraid to sleep. Knowing if he did he would have nightmares and Morgan will discover the extent of them. He didn't want to appear to be the weak link in the BAU. He had struggled for too long to not be the freaky kid. He couldn't have that ruined by some psychopath with an odd obsession. But eventually he did sleep, and the predicted nightmare arrived with full vengeance. Only it wasn't about Hankel this time. This was something different. Something which felt in his sleep to be demonic an evil. Something otherworldly.

Morgan heard a crash and a yelp and went running. His gun was out as he pushed open Reid's door just as the screaming started.

Reid was on the floor in the corner his hands over his head and his legs drawn up close. Morgan watched for a second before putting his gun away and running to his partner.

"Reid wake up. It's a nightmare. It's ok." He put a careful hand out so as not to alarm the still sleeping dreaming Reid and placed it gently on the top of his head. "Wake up man."

And the hammering started at the door.

And the windows shook.

And the hammering got louder as Reid's arms went out and pulled Derek to him "Make it stop. Make it go away." He hissed at Morgan.

And the windows flew open and the rain poured in as something outside howled. "What the hell?"

"Just make it stop!" Morgan could feel Reid shaking in his arms and wet tears on his shoulder and suddenly Reid went limp and the noises stopped and the windows slammed shut.

"Reid?" But his breathing was slow and deep and the natural sleep had returned. Morgan carefully lifted Spencer off the floor and lay him on the bed. He rolled over onto his stomach. One arm flopping over the side of the bed. The other bent and above his head, and Derek saw in his mind the image of Trent Fipps superimposed over the top, and his stomach knotted. "What in hells name is going on?"

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	3. Chapter 3 Apologies

Apologies 

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Morgan spent the rest of the night sitting on the floor in Reid's hallway watching Reid sleeping through the open doorway. How was he going to explain this to Hotch? As the light crept its way around the heavy dark blue drapes in Reid's lounge Derek got up and stretched and walked quickly to Spencer's small hardly used kitchen. He turned on the coffee machine and opened cupboards to locate mugs. All of Reid's china was white. All of his cutlery was neat and organised. The contents of his fridge were tidy and ordered. It crossed Morgan's mind that Spencer was a bit obsessive maybe or was it just that he hardly ever used this room so it was easy to keep like this?

He was pouring himself a drink when he heard soft footsteps behind him. Derek turned around to see a hardly awake Reid. "You alright there?" The look on Derek's face told Reid that something had happened last night.

Spencer sighed. "I was a bad one wasn't it? I can still feel it."

Morgan nodded. "It was pretty bad. You need to talk to someone about this. Someone who can help you. I don't know enough about dreams and nightmares and stuff Reid – but last night? – I have never seen something as intense as that before. You scared the shit out of me."

"I smell coffee." Was his reply.

…………….

After a shower – Reid avoided using the bath – and a change of clothes – Morgan noted the extreme time it took Reid to choose something to wear. What he ended up in made Derek raise an eyebrow.

"Reid man, you can't leave the building dressed like that."

"What? Why not?" He looked down at himself.

"I can understand what you are thinking, but this won't help. Just get dressed in clothes that aren't hanging off you."

Reid sighed and turned around again. "I just wanted to – you know – not look like those bodies."

"I know, but maybe get your hair cut?"

"Derek, now you are being silly." And he walked into the bedroom shutting the door behind him. Morgan stood where he had been sitting all night and watched the closed door. An enigma. He didn't think he would ever fully understand this person. How can you ever understand a man whose brain works in such a peculiar way?

When he re-emerged he was in light brown trousers and an off white short sleeved shirt and a brown tie which again he had too long. He has tried to do something with his hair too - flattening the curls a bit, but it was just popping back into its own odd manner with each step he took. How could he have so much hair? Morgan wondered. Why does he let it get so long? He looked so much more clean cut and – he supposed – innocent with his hair short.

"So you want to get the hair cut?" He tried again.

"No."

…………….

Morgan drove them to the office. It was probably the first time Derek had ever been to work on time. In fact early.

Reid went straight to the coffee with Morgan following closely behind. "You don't have to follow me now we are here."

"I still want you to agree to see someone about last night. If that happens often – well you need to sort it Reid." He could see Reid pause in his coffee making and swallow.

"This was different. I can still feel it. I can still see the images. That's not happened before. This wasn't a typical result of the trauma in Georgia. This was something altogether different. I need to try to work out what it was."

He walked back to his desk. It was going to be another day of trying to work out how all this could have happened in one night. Fingerprints and other results should be back from the labs soon. He dropped his bag to the floor and sat fiddling with his collar looking at an envelope in front of him. He carefully picked it up and looked at the writing on the front. _'Spence.'_ He sat and looked at the writing. Cursive and written with a flourish, but light – right handed, and casual.

He turned it over again and slipped his finger under the flap at the back. He pulled out a pit of lined paper. _'Spence, I am sorry. I didn't mean to seem pushy, I just really want to see you again. Tonight? Call me. F"_ Again the fancy cursive writing. Reid smiled down at it and was about to put it back in the envelope when it was snatched from his hands. He looked up to see Morgan holding it, but not reading.

Reid frowned at him "That is personal. Please give it back."

An eyebrow raised. "Is it now? Do I want to read it? Is this from who called you last night?" He was waving the bit of paper above his head.

"Morgan this is not funny – please give that back." Reid stood up to try to retrieve his letter from the mysterious F and knocked over his coffee onto the floor and all over his messenger bag. "Wonderful! Thank you Morgan." And in that brief period of time where Derek was distracted by the mess, Reid extracted the bit of paper from his hand and stuffed it in his pocket. He picked up his bad and swung it over his shoulder showering everyone nearby with sweet dark coffee.

"Hey, calm down. I was playing with you." Morgan was stepping forward to trying to placitate Spencer who was beginning to look more and more alarmed. "Where is Hotch?" Reid turned from Derek and ran up the short flight of stairs tripping up the last one and falling to his knees. Morgan watched Reid's panicked run. What on earth was written on that bit of paper to alarm him like that?

He followed the stumbling Reid towards Aaron's office. The door was slightly open so he ran in and slammed the door behind him. Derek stood and looked at the door slamming in his face. He still hadn't talked to Hotch about the nightmare and the other odd happenings at Reid's last night. Did the note have something to do with it?

…………………

Hotch looked up at Reid. He noted the liquid dripping from his bag and then the dark circles under his eyes. "Reid? What happened?"

"Hotch I am sorry, I don't think I can work this case. I didn't think it was bothering me yesterday." Hotch stood up and walked over to Spencer who was leaning on the door. He flicked the lock and then put an arm around Spencer.

"I understand Spencer." He guided Reid away from the door and over to a couch. "Sit. What happened to your bag?"

"My b b bag? Oh it's coffee. Aaron – what's going on? Those men had been re-dressed. They were posed. Why the letters to you? I can't do this. I can't keep looking at the crime scene photos."

"I understand but I need you close." And the arm around his shoulder tightened. "I can't let you go home."

"There is a marked car outside." Hotch could feel Reid relax slightly.

"You know as well as I do that the car won't stop someone if they really want to do something. I am sorry Reid but you need to stay here. I can't afford to send you home with someone."

"I can look after myself. I don't need a baby sitter." He was resting his head on Aaron's shoulder.

"Evidently. I need you close. I need to know you are safe. I want you to stay with me until this unsub is caught." Hotch felt Reid sigh. "Is that a problem?"

"Haley."

"I will explain. It will be alright. You are one of my agents, she wouldn't object to Emily staying over. She won't object to you." A hand on Reid's thigh. "Don't worry. I will sort it."

Reid pulled back from Hotch. "I don't know. I don't want to upset things. She doesn't like me. I don't feel comfortable around her. She knows."

Aaron watched the suddenly nervous Reid now standing twisting his hands and looking at the floor. "She knows what exactly?"

"That I don't feel comfortable around her. She makes me nervous. I drop things and fall over your rugs when she is around."

Hotch laughed. "That is all part of your charm though Spencer."

"I don't think she sees it that way. I can't stay with you. I need to go home."

"Then I will come back with you. Tonight. For now you stay here." He patted the space next to him. "Please Spencer."

Reid had started pacing the room. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the bit of paper and looked at it. Hotch sat watching his hands running over the paper and looking at the words. Reid looked at the couch and returned to sit. He handed Aaron the bit of paper. "I got this. So you see. I really want to go home."

Hotch read the tumble of words on the paper. "This is out of the question." Hotch passed the note back, "Who is this? Have we met?"

Reid shook his head. "I met him on the train. Hotch, I keep putting this off. Not very professional I realise that, but I need my private life and I can't have that at your house or with Derek hanging around."

"So with all that is going on, a case you don't feel you can handle because of the way they victims are re-dressed you still want to go on a date with a stranger."

Reid was shaking his head again. "Maybe just a telephone conversation I know wasn't being recorded and analysed by Garcia would be nice. Some privacy. A drink with a friend. That's all."

"You will have to put it off until we know what is going on. I am sorry Spencer."

Reid looked down at his hands and sighed. "So any news from the lab yet?" He looked sideways at Aaron.

"Er – yes, no fingerprints except from what we would expect. They all died of heroin overdoses, but the site the needles were found were not the injection sites. The needles were part of the scene setting. The clothing appears to have come from a Goodwill store." Aaron smirked.

And in the back of Reid's mind he could still hear the howling and screaming from his nightmare.

…………..


	4. Chapter 4 Faces

Faces

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Reid leaned on Hotch and felt comforted by the familiar safe smells. When Hotch's phone on the desk rang, he looked over apologetically to Reid and did a small smile. "It will be OK."

He picked up the phone to hear JJ's voice. He clicked it to speaker.

"Hotch, there are two more."

Reid jumped to his feet, his heart pounding.

"The same unsub? The same MO?"

"Same unsub yes, notes were left. Different notes, but in the same hand, and addressed to you. The MO is different. We need to meet in the roundtable room sir."

Hotch looked over at Reid. Hopefully if the unsub had changed his MO then Reid will be able to get the images of the staged murders out of his head. It was upsetting for Hotch to look at them. He couldn't imagine how Reid was feeling. The fact that he seemed confused about what he needed and wanted was enough to make Aaron realise something bad was going on in Spencer's head.

"Reid. Stay here. I want to see what is going on first."

………….

He desperately wanted to lock Reid in his office to make sure he was safe. He left Reid sitting looking at the note he had received and closed the door gently.

JJ had files put together again and Morgan and Prentiss were sitting waiting. The looked beyond Hotch to see if Reid was there.

"I wanted to see this first before Reid does. What do we have JJ?"

She clicked the remote and the image popped up making Hotch's stomach turn. Again it was someone dressed Reidesque but laying in the leaves in a small copse of trees.

"He was found by a woman walking her dog this morning. Laying on his front." JJ paused for them to take in the scene.

"That could be Reid." Prentiss muttered.

JJ continued. "He had his wallet and drivers licence on him, which is why they were so quick to get an ID on him." JJ sighed. This is what they found when they turned him over."

They looked up at the picture on the screen. His hands were restrained in front of him with nylon cuffs and there was a bullet hole in his forehead. The rest of his face was gone. Hotch sat down quickly, and Morgan wiped his palms on the legs of this trousers.

"What did that?" Emily again.

JJ sighed, "They think it was rats. Once again he has been re-dressed. This is Rob Masters and he was twenty seven. I am getting sexual orientation looked into but so far nothing has come back on that. It was the gunshot that killed him. No drugs suspected this time."

She clicked again. "This is Lewis Timpany. He was twenty five." She let them look again at the picture. "He was found in the undergrowth of a hospital car park. Again on his front. The photos of when they turned him over were virtually the same. Hands cuffed in front of him, bullet hole in forehead and the face eaten away by rodents. JJ watched Hotchner's face, and then started to hand him a bit of paper. "This was the note. Same at both scenes."

"_Agent Aaron Hotchner, He should have missed."_

Hotch stood up. "I want Reid in a safe house now."

……………..

Reid sat and watched Hotch leave. That man confused him. He gave off confusing signals then seemed to deny things happened. He had desperately wanted to say that Haley knew there was something more than a working relationship going on, but was there? He didn't know anymore. He looked down at the note in his hand and ran his fingers over the writing. He wanted to get to know this person. He didn't want Hotch leading him on like that then spitting him out again. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked around the room. There were mics and cameras in here? Was everything they did recorded? He stood up and walked to the door. At least he wasn't locked in but he didn't want to hold this conversation where he could be over heard.

Spencer walked slowly to the men's room. How many times had he hidden himself away in here? What were they all talking about in the conference room? Why didn't Hotch want him there? Why was Hotch so confusing? Spencer just couldn't get his mind around the mixed messages Aaron was constantly giving him. He pushed open the door to the men's room and at the same time flipped open his phone. He pressed speed dial and put the phone to his ear.

"Hi – Spencer" A sigh. "Yes I just got your message. I would love to go out for a drink – yes but you know this case and everything." A pause. "No it's not an excuse!" Another pause. "I got a lift in." Standing with his back to the wall and his eyes shut. "No no carry on, I was listening to your voice." Another pause. "Now? At the coffee stand? I will be there."

……….

Yes he knew he shouldn't be doing this.

Yes he knew it was really stupid.

Yes he was going against what Hotch had told him to do, but sometimes impulses take over and you just do it. He checked they were all still in the conference room and went to the elevators. Spencer was desperate for something nice. No pressure just something pleasant. He pressed the button and hoped they would stay in the conference room for just a bit longer, just long enough to get in the elevator. When it pinged and the doors opened he stepped in and moved to the back wall of the car. He pressed ground floor and let out a long sigh of relief as the doors closed and the car started to move down again. He realised now that he had left his bag behind. It didn't matter. He was going for coffee with a friend and might even be back before they even realised he was gone.

Spencer was feeling almost light headed with happiness as he strolled down towards the coffee stand. He could see him standing there with his back to him. Spencer stopped and watched as he bought two coffees and handed over the money to the vendor and then turned around and saw Spencer and smiled. Reid gave a small wave back and walked towards him.

"Heya, I really wasn't sure you would come." And he handed Reid a coffee "Extra sweet, the way you like it." Reid took the coffee and smiled.

"I wasn't sure I would be able to make it. It's really quite hectic. I can't stay long. I will be missed."

Reid felt a hand brush against his. "Let's sit." And fingers wound their way around Reid's hand and led him to a low wall they could sit on. They sat and chatted and sipped coffee and sometimes the fingers around Spencer's hand seemed to hold on a bit too tightly but that was OK. They both felt insecure and this was new.

It was warm and the sun shone down on them as Reid listened to his friend chat and he tried to join in and be 'conversational'. It was something he never found that easy to do. Flashes of somewhere dark and deep and endless. He could feel his breathing had changed and become short and shallow. Sweat was prickling over his forehead.

"Are you alright?" The voice sounded concerned looking at Reid's sudden pale sweaty face.

Reid turned to look at the voice. "I was thinking." Memories of blood. Too much blood – shaking his head to try to remove the memories.

"Uh hu, that doesn't sound good."

"I shouldn't be here." Spencer stood up and started looking nervously around him. The hand clinging onto his suddenly felt not so friendly. It felt claustrophobic and uncomfortable. He tried to pull his hand away. "L l let go." Twisting his hand but the other was holding tight now and nails were digging in slightly.

"What the hell is wrong with you Spence?" Flashes of a nightmare came screaming through Reid's head so fast and hard that he dropped his coffee and staggered back. All he could hear now was the thumping in his chest and the blood rushing in his ears.

"Who – who are you?"

"You know who I am. Spence what's wrong. You look like you are going to have a heart attack. Sit down."

Panic. Pure panic. "I have to go." But he wouldn't let go of Reid's hand. Gun - Reid get your gun. Get away now. Where is everyone, surely they noticed you have gone by now? He was fumbling at his gun at his belt with sweaty slippery hands. FBI agents didn't panic like this. Calm down, calm down. This is just the guy off the train. But the memories of the nightmare he had the night before and of all the others preceding seemed to be flooding back so fast his brain couldn't cope with it. His hands felt numb and his legs were giving way as he could hear someone shouting for help. He couldn't work out what was being said, but the hand finally let go as all sounds and sights faded into the background. Too many people shouting now to work out what was being said as he fell face first onto the ground.

One voice could be heard above the others though. "I told you I'd be waiting."

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	5. Chapter 5 Breathe

Breathe

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Breathe.

He could hear them talking to him.

Breathe.

But something wouldn't let him.

Breathe

It's not that hard.

Breathe.

I was aiming for his leg.

Breathe.

Make no mistake I will shoot your man right now.

Breathe.

Turn it on or I pull the trigger.

Breathe.

Can I forgive myself?

Breathe.

This ends now.

Breathe.

Six elevator deaths a year.

Breathe. I can't. I am trying. I can't breathe.

And then sudden pain in the back of his head and hands holding his head and tipping it back.

"Breathe damnit Reid breathe."

And he was back in a black place with chains around his ankles and endless darkness spreading around, and he screamed and with the scream came the breath.

Suddenly he could hear again, and he could see again. Hotch was bending over him. He could feel hard calloused hands on his face. Floyd's hands on his face. "It's OK Spence. You had a panic attack. You passed out." The accent and the overwhelming feeling of need and he could smell Aaron and see JJ's face looking worried.

"Can you move away please?" Hotch was looking at the owner of that voice. "Morgan cuff him and take him down the station. I need to know who the hell he is and why he is out here with my agent on the floor."

The comforting hands moved away and he heard the voice, but couldn't see the face. "It's OK, I don't need to be cuffed. I will happily accompany you and chat." But Reid could hear the clicking of cuffs and a sigh.

Spencer tried to look back to see what was going on but Hotch kept his head still. "Keep still Reid. You hit your head. Paramedics are on the way."

"I passed out? Where are you taking him? We were just having coffee. What hit me?" Now he could see flashing lights and hear rushed whispering voices.

"Hello." A new voice. "Can you tell me your name?" Such a stupid question. He moved his hand to his ID. Hands covering his. "It's alright don't move I just need to know your name."

Sudden thoughts. This might not be real. This is a trick. Something had gone wrong. He passed out in the street? Why would he do that? Why wouldn't they let him move? He could feel prying hands touching his face and fingers moving in his hair. This was wrong. Where was Hotch? Why was he still laying in the street. "Your name?"

He must be hallucinating. This can't be happening. He felt someone slip something around his neck. And now the memories of those nightmares came screaming back again.

…………..

Hotch looked down at Reid. Why he was out here when he had been asked to stay in his office was right now a mystery, but he needed to talk to the person he had been with. He could see different expressions pass over Reid's face as the blueness on his lips was covered over by a slightly more natural colour. He saw relief and then he saw confusion. As the paramedics started to ask him questions, ones he didn't answer, there was alarm and now it was abject terror as they tried to put a collar around his neck. He stood back helplessly as the medics tried to avoid the flailing arms and scratching fingers. Reid tried to pull the collar off again making odd whimpering noises at the back of his throat.

"Stop." Aaron stepped forward. "Is that necessary?"

Reid could feel the garrotte tighten around his neck as black blobs of something crept in around the corners of his vision.

The medic removed the collar giving Hotchner a dirty look. "It is protocol to secure the neck sir, but as it seems to be alarming him so much."

"Just look at where he hit his head. I don't want him going to hospital unless really necessary."

"He is incoherent. He doesn't even seem able to give us his name, and it looks like he is not fully awake. We need to check him out properly."

…………..

Reid could feel unfamiliar hands pulling at him. He tried to fight them off. He kicked and fought with them, but he felt them holding him down and strapping his arms in place. Voices in the background. Was that Hotch? Why didn't Hotch stop this?

"Your name please sir? Your date of birth."

Darkness and chains and smells unfamiliar.

…………

Derek sat on the other side of a table in the interview room watching this stranger. "Let's start with a name."

The man shrugged. "Floyd Flanders. Would you like my social security number?"

"Don't get smart just answer the questions."

Shrug.

"It's still Flanders."

"How do you now Reid?" Watching this man closely.

"What business is that of yours?" Staring Morgan in the eyes.

"He's a federal agent. He is my partner and I want to know who you are and how he knows you."

Leaning back in his chair as far as the cuffs attached to the table would permit. "I see him on the train. I asked him out on a date. We went for drinks." A frown. "When you say 'partner' you mean working partner?"

"I told you not to get smart with me. Your accent."

"Yes what of it?"

"I assume you have a passport and visa etcetera?"

"Yes sir, I keep them safely in my sock." Moving forwards again. "I am not here illegally if that is what you are asking."

"I need your home address." Morgan was making notes in a pad.

"So you can harass me there as well?"

"You think I am harassing you? I haven't started yet. Address. Employment details. Now."

"So you will be needing my social security number then? It's tattooed on my arse if you care to look." He reeled off his address to a raised eyebrow. "I am sort of self employed. Check my tax records. All up to date."

Derek was still making notes whilst watching this Flanders. "Self employed doing what?"

"I am a collector. I collect old things. Unusual things, I sell them to other collectors."

"Be more specific. Old things?"

"Dolls, books, coins, collectables. I collect and trade and I make a very good living from it, as you can tell from my address. Nothing illegal. You are more than welcome to have a look around. Just don't break anything or you will have to buy it."

"What were you doing with Reid? I need every detail. Why was he there with you?"

"I don't like where this is going. If you are accusing me of something I think I need a lawyer. Otherwise you can remove these cuffs and we will talk about our mutual friend – who by the way I am more than a bit concerned about and so can we please get this over and done with like gentlemen and not like thugs?"

"You lawyering up?" Derek frowned. "Yes or no?"

"Are you going to remove these? I have nothing further to say until you do."

Derek got up and moved to the cuffs, unlocking them and putting them on the table. "Now talk."

"He phoned me. I was in the area, so I suggested coffee at the stall. We met up, he seemed nervous. We sat and talked, but something happened. Not sure what. He just freaked out and had a panic attack. I thought he was going to die. Really nothing I could have done. I wasn't like anything I have seen before. I thought he was hallucinating or something. It looked like he was hearing or seeing things. Then he just tipped forwards onto the floor. You arrived about then, so you know the rest."

"Seeing things?" Puzzled.

"Like he was having a nightmare or night terrors only he was awake. Is he mentally unstable or something? It looked like some sort of mental breakdown or similar from my untrained eye."

Morgan nodded. "You don't mind waiting while we check out these details do you?"

"I feel I have little choice, but I would like to find out how Spence is. If you could update me on his condition it would be appreciated."

"Wait here." And Morgan got up and left the room. It was locked behind him.

…………

Derek gave Garcia all the information he had and asked his baby girl to check it out for him. "Will do sugar – OK Flanders Floyd: He's been in the country for about five years. He is originally from Italy but travels and lived for a long while in England. The address – wow – nice! He has a small business buying and selling collectable antiques, he specialises in dolls and books, though there seems to be some art he has sold, and a few coins. Mainly dolls though. Strange. They are very specific. Hand crafted European. Very valuable. Seems he has spent some time in rehab for drug dependency. Heroin. He had a cocaine problem for a while too it seems, and was in trouble for driving under the influence of alcohol. He is Thirty-two and unmarried, no dependants and rather gorgeous. Looks like he had a name change when he was in Europe. Just checking it." Derek could hear he fingers clattering on the keys. "OK yes not a name change as such, he dropped his last name so Flanders must have been a strange middle name. Floyd Flanders Franks. But the Franks bit hasn't been used since he was about ten by the looks of it." A pause. "There seem to be chunks of information missing. I cant find his family or his schooling. Unless he has none."

"Thank you sweetness." And pressed speed dial again to get Hotch.

……………….

Hotch sat with Reid who was now sitting up with a big dressing on his forehead.

"Sorry Aaron."

"Do you know what happened? Did someone attack you?" Worried eyes.

"No – I think it was just lack of sleep. I can't really explain it. I guess it was just a panic attack. Those crime scene photo's Hotch. They brought back memories I was hoping were buried."

"Flanders had nothing to do with this?" Moving a hand to rest on top or Reid's.

"No." Small shake of the head. "He had nothing to do with it. I think it was the sudden fresh air and, I don't know – I can't explain it. A panic attack? I couldn't breathe."

Reid didn't feel it was the time to tell Aaron he had been hallucinating visually and aurally. Now wasn't the time to talk to Aaron about his fears of schizophrenia.

……………

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**


	6. Chapter 6 A Shot In The Dark

A Shot In The Dark.

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

"I was going to suggest you went to a safe house until this mess is sorted, but thinking about it, I would prefer you to stay with me." Hotch's fingers slowly gripped Reid's hand. "I am worried Spencer."

Reid yawned and looked down at the hand holding his. "Hotch – Aaron, I don't know. Haley."

"I told you it will be fine. There is nothing to worry about. She will understand."

Reid sucked in his bottom lip. "I am fine, really Hotch, there is no need."

Aaron sat on the hospital bed Reid was sitting up in. "Someone is either threatening you or trying to, and I need to keep you away from it, and somewhere safe. It's my place or a safe house."

Reid rubbed his eyes with his fingertips of one hand and then looked down at the hand holding his other. "Only if Haley doesn't mind." Then a puzzled look on his face. "Where is the guy I was having coffee with? He was there. Is he alright?"

The hand suddenly loosened on Reid's. "Morgan is checking him out. Having a chat."

"Do you know where my glasses are? They seem to have removed my contacts at some point." Aaron shook his head, probably in your bag. I will get someone to pick it up for you and bring it around to my place. For now you can go, so get up and we can settle you into my spare room. We are still awaiting lab results back on the last two victims."

Hotch watched Reid pull back on the clothes he had been wearing earlier. "I'm still not convinced staying at your place is a good idea. Haley really dislikes me." And Reid knew why.

"No she doesn't, you just confuse her." And he was smiling. Why did Hotch deny this all the time? Why did he constantly have him in a state of confusion?

………….

Flanders was released, as they had absolutely nothing to hold him on as all he seemed to have done was buy Reid coffee and annoy the hell out of Morgan. They were just not the sort of people who would ever get on with each other.

He returned to his house. A big place with big rooms full of odd things. It was an old creaking moaning house with very high ceilings and huge old paintings on the wall. There were display cabinets around the walls in most rooms full of old dolls and books and the occasional set of coins or stamps, but for the most part it was books and dolls. Dolls of all kinds: small as a pin and almost life sized. Some were hideously macabre and others looked almost life like. All very valuable and all his.

He turned lights on low and walked through the dark papered hallway down to the kitchen where he sat and ate alone again and drank coffee in silence. They wouldn't tell him anything about how Spence was. The hospital wouldn't give him any information. He is a Fed – and he? Well Floyd is just a collector. He wanted to show Spence his books. He had looked like he wanted to talk about books when he had mentioned them, but Spence and small talk just didn't seem to go together too well.

He did however give out lots of useful information on books and publishing dates.

Flanders went to the lounge. Again the room was full of big old paintings, bare wooden floors, shelf upon shelf of books and big leather couches. He poured himself a glass of red wine and sat down looking at the wall and fiddling with his cell phone. He had tried calling but each time it had gone to answer-phone. Either he was being ignored or Spence was too ill to answer. He lit up a cigarette and leaned back. All this luxury and no one to share it with and finally find someone and their friends won't let you near. Wonderful Floyd you chose well. When the cigarette burned down and the bottle of wine was empty he closed his eyes and relaxed.

Sleep was quick to arrive but it wasn't the happiest of dreams. He awoke in the early hours of the morning feeling lost and alone. He checked his cell phone for missed calls.

………..

Spencer sat on the bed in the spare room at the Hotch household. He really wasn't sure about this but it was here or a safe house somewhere and that was even less appealing. Hotch had installed Reid up here and then gone to talk to Haley. "Give me ten minutes." He had said. Spencer looked at his watch. Twenty four seconds left, and then he would go and find Hotch and Haley and see if this was alright.

……………

Haley was getting food ready in the big warm family kitchen. Aaron walked over to her as she stirred things on the stove and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the ear.

"You made it back for dinner." And she turned and smiled. "What's the catch?" She smiled.

"Does there have to be a catch?" He stepped back away from her. "I brought someone back with me. He needs to stay a few days."

Haley turned back to the pans on the stove. "Who this time?" He could hear her teeth were clenched.

"Spencer." He stood and waited in the silence.

"No Aaron. Not him. He can't stay here." She slammed the wooden spoon down on the work surface next to the hob and turned to look at Aaron.

"I wasn't asking your permission Haley. He is staying. He needs someone to keep an eye on him while this case sorts out."

"No. Not Reid. I don't want him in the house Aaron. You know how I feel about him! I won't have him here." Haley was slamming drawers and snatching up utensils in a very unfriendly manner. "After what he did you expect me to be happy about this? I don't want him here. I don't want his influence in my home. He disgusts me." She was hissing her words at Aaron now. Knowing it would hurt.

"Haley, he didn't do anything. I don't know what you think he did."

"Stop it Aaron! Stop it."

………..

Reid was halfway down the stairs when he heard the whispered voices. They didn't sound happy. He knew this was a mistake. He should just go back and get his tooth brush and leave. Nothing was going to happen tonight. He could phone Floyd – apologise for acting like a loon earlier. Yes he would go back upstairs and call Floyd. That would be a good idea. He could feel though that he was in actuality still walking slowly down the stairs. He put his back to the wall at the bottom of the stairs and pulled out his cell phone.

………….

"He needs my support."

"That's not all he will be asking for though is it!"

"You are insane Haley. What are you going on about?"

"You think I haven't seen the two of you! Holding each other." Spitting out her words. "I've seen it!"

"I don't know what you think you have seen, but you have misunderstood."

"Don't lie to me Aaron. I see the way he looks at you."

…………..

Reid's stomach was twisting in knots. He knew he shouldn't have come back here. He told Aaron Haley wouldn't like it. Why couldn't he see things the way they did?

He wanted to make his way to the front door. He wanted to escape but was rooted to the spot listening.

………….

"The way he looks at me? He looks at everyone like that."

"He is a dirty little freak Aaron. I don't want him in my home with my son. I don't trust him. If you insist he stays, then I am going."

She pushed by Aaron and walked out to the hallway with Aaron close behind. She stopped dead in her tracks so suddenly that Aaron walked into her back. She stood looking at Reid standing in the shadows.

"You heard all of that?" She snapped.

Spencer nodded.

"Good. You know where the door is. Get out!"

"Haley, don't." Aaron's voice from behind her.

"You choose him over me?!"

Reid was walking fast bumping off the small hall table and bouncing off a baby walker.

"Spencer stop. You can't go out there alone." Hotch was walking towards Reid.

"He is a grown man for goodness sake Aaron; as you well know. Stop treating him like a child! Let him leave. Make him leave."

It was now that Aaron's cell phone rang at the same time as the house phone and at the same time as the phone Reid was still clutching in one hand, the other reaching out for the door handle.

Aaron opened his phone. No one there.

Haley picked up the house phone. A continuous beeping noise.

Reid had a text msg. 'BaNg!'

And the three of them heard:

A gun shot.

Very close.

It made Reid jump back away from the door - as his eyes widened and something red sprayed up the misted glass of a window next to the big oak door.

………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	7. Chapter 7 Splash Of Purple

Splash Of Purple

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

The Three of them stood in the dimly lit passage. Reid took a step forwards again and put his hand out for the door.

"Reid, no, wait." Hotch half turned to Haley. "Upstairs Haley, now. Quickly. Stay with Jack. Do not come down until I say."

She nodded quickly and glanced over at Reid and gave a small shake of the head. Then turned and quickly ran upstairs.

Reid's hand was still reaching for the door handle. "Step back away from the door Reid." Aaron's gun was in his hand. "Wait here. Call for back up." And he was pulling Reid out of the way of the door.

Spencer picked up the house phone but it was still not working "Hotch, your phone's been tampered with." To which Reid received a small nod. He flipped open his phone and made a call. He watched with big eyes as Aaron slowly opened the front door. He heard a gasp; a sharp intake of breath. "Reid – Spencer, go upstairs and make sure Haley is alright."

"Excuse me? Are you insane?" Reid started to step forwards.

"Reid! I am serious please go upstairs." Hotch sounded alarmed.

"What is it? What is it you don't want me to see?" Moving slowly towards the door.

"Reid upstairs now. I want you to protect my wife and son. Now. Go" Hotch was looking fierce.

Spencer pulled his gun and stood staring at the door for a second or two before turning and walking up the stairs.

…………

"Haley?" It was a loud whisper. "Where are you?" He walked along the passageway to where he knew Aaron's room was. "Haley?" He carefully turned the door handle and pushed open the door with his fingertips. "Are you in here? Hotch sent me to see if you are alright." God – what was he saying? Why was he here? He started to turn away from the door when a voice came from the shadows at the end of the corridor.

"You have a nerve coming to my home." Hissing at him.

He turned slowly, the gun still held tightly. "It wasn't my idea."

"Right! Now leave. I don't want you near my son."

"Hotch told me to stay with you." Biting on his lips.

"I – don't – want – you – here!" She had started to shout and Reid was slowly backing away.

"Aaron – Hotch – asked me to stay up here with you." Back to the wall now eyes flicking between the stairs and Haley.

"You stay away from me and you will stay away from my son." She was still standing in the shadows at the end of the passageway. "and you stay away from my husband."

Reid turned to look at her. "He's my boss."

"He's my husband damn you Reid. Stay away from him. You know what I am talking about."

……………..

Hotch looked down at the body laying outside his front door. The age of the victim was hard to determine from the back, but once again he had the collar length wavy brown hair. What was left of it. He was wearing dark trousers and a dark blue jacket with the letters FBI spay painted on the back in yellow. The victim's hands were at shoulder height with his palms face down and fingers spread on one hand with a bit of paper underneath. The other hand was holding a purple scarf. Hotch just stood and looked. If he didn't know that Spencer was in the house he would have thought that was him laying dead on his door step. He pulled on a pair of latex gloves from his inside jacket pocket and pulled the bit of paper out. This was different. It wasn't addressed to Hotch.

'_Derek Morgan, you should have let the kid kill him that night at the sluice house.' _

Hotch looked up when he heard the gasp at his elbow.

"What the hell happened? Tell me that isn't Reid." Morgan was looking at what was at Aaron's feet. "Is that a note?"

Hotch shook his head and held it for Derek to see. "Reid is inside. He hasn't seen this. I don't want him to see this."

Morgan gloved up and took the note. "The kid at the sluice house?" Derek thought for a second a frown making its way across his face. "That was over a year ago. I know what this is referring to."

"Morgan, I need you to find out any crime scene photos we have from that case. What was Reid wearing? There might be press photos, anything, but this looks too specific. The coat and the scarf – other scenes were much more generalised. Get onto Garcia. I need to know why this victim was dressed in this way."

Hotch had to get Haley away from the house. He carefully stepped around the victim and walked in the front door. He could hear raised voices.

………………….

"I didn't want to come here Haley. I told you I didn't want to."

"Don't you call me by name. You can call me Mrs Hotchner." She picked up a vase from the small end table she was standing next to and started to walk towards him. "This has something to do with you. This – whatever happened – the gun shot – you come here and drag your trouble with you. Get out of my house."

Reid started to slowly back off; the gun still in his hand down at his side. "Mrs – Mrs Hotchner, calm down. That gun shot had nothing to do with me." Backing off further putting a placitating hand out towards Haley.

"Don't you tell me to calm down! Do you enjoy him? Does he excite you?" Walking faster towards Reid now who continued to back away.

"I I I don't know – don't know what you mean!"

"Answer my question. Does my husband excite you? On those nights he doesn't come home. Is he with you?" She was shouting.

"What?!" He watched her drop the vase on the carpet and start to run at him.

"Get out!" and her hands where pushing against his chest. Reid could feel he was going to over balance at the top of the stairs and made a made grab for the rail with one hand the other still holding the gun in a death grip.

…………….

"Garcia sweetness – I need you to look up any visual info we have on the case in McAllister Virginia last year. I need to see if there are any press photos or anything of Reid when we were there. CTV footage from the police station, anything which might have Reid on it. I need to know what he was wearing."

"I will look babes, but I don't think we will have anything." Morgan listened to the sound of the clattering of keys then a sigh. "Sorry, nothing. Why do you need to know? Has something happened?"

"Another staged scene. Keep looking of me baby girl. Let me know if you find anything."

Morgan closed his phone and looked down at the body. The incident happened at night. Reid could well have been wearing a jacket, but how would the unsub know this if they didn't?

………….

She was trained in self defence. Hotch had made sure, and she knew where to kick and kick she did. Reid made a strange noise and felt the gun drop from his fingers as he doubled over briefly before falling backwards down the stairs.

Hotch stood and watched Spencer roll down the stairs and crash against the table. He looked up to see Haley glowering down.

"I hope it hurt!" she shouted.

Aaron ran to Spencer who was in a scrunched up heap groaning. "Reid - What happened?"

"And that says it all!" Hotch looked up to see his wife turn and walk away out of sight. He looked towards the front door.

"Morgan! Get in here quickly."

"I told you she doesn't like me" Reid managed to gasp out.

…………………..

A man stood in shadows. He was short and dressed in black. He watched and smiled a dark smile as he monitored the way they reacted. It was a shame that Reid hadn't seen this one either. Next time he would make sure the boy saw. He wanted to see that fear. He needed to see Spencer look at how he should have died – over and over again. Constantly cheating death – even allowing the destruction of others to save his pitiful pathetic hide, spoiling and disrupting. Yes next time he would make sure dearly beloved Spence saw his own death. The man turned and walked deeper into the shadows.

………………..

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	8. Chapter 8 The Only Thing Missing Is You

The Only Thing Missing Is You.

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Floyd walked slowly up the stairs past the paintings and old photographs on the walls and down the pitch dark hallway to a room at the end. He opened the big old door at the end and entered his bed room. It was a huge room with a bay window over looking the back of the property. He stood in the darkness and looked down at the pool he never used and over to the places for his friends to sit that he never asked over. With a deep sigh he pulled his heavy velvet dark drapes and turned on a small side light.

He went and sat at a small desk in the corner of this monstrously large room and woke up his lap top. Maybe he could email Spence? Was he getting obsessed by this man, or was he just worried.

"I haven't seen him since he collapsed in the street and couldn't breathe. That's not being obsessive is it? That is pure worry."

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket again and checked once more for missed calls or messages. "One more message won't hurt."

'_Spence. RU OK plz rply Im worried. F'_

He hit send and sat looking at the object in his hand. He picked up a bottle of whiskey and undid the top. He poured a generous helping of the amber liquid and lit a cheroot. "Please be alright."

By the morning Floyd had made his way to his big four poster bed and had drunk himself into unconsciousness sprawled on his stomach and clutching his cell phone.

……………

The morning saw Spencer sitting in a hotel room. He was with Morgan. Hotch had taken Haley and Jack off to another hotel on the other side of the city. Too little too late, Spencer thought, but not his place to say anything. He had a huge bruise on the side of his face and a nice lump on the back of this head. His back was skinned and scraped, but all in all not too bad off. Morgan kept scowling at Reid and he had no idea why. This whole business was just so confusing. Why was someone murdering people and making the scenes look like it was him? If it was meant to confuse and scare then it was working. Morgan finally asked the question he wanted to ask.

"Remember McAllister, Virginia?"

"Not something I am likely to forget."

"What were you wearing?"

"This is a trick question to see how hard I hit my head?"

"Seriously; I need to know."

Reid sat and looked at his hands for a while.

"At what point?"

"When we found the body in the sluice house."

"Dark trousers, shirt, jacket, and an FBI over jacket, a scarf."

"Ah."

"Why?"

"Just checking on something." He handed Reid a copy of the note which was left. "Who else apart from us would know what you were wearing that night?"

Reid looked down at the note. "The unsub dressed the victim as I was then? How would he know? He must have been there." Reid looked puzzled

Morgan nodded. "I was thinking the same, but then surely he would have got your clothing correct for all the scenes?"

Reid fiddled with the paper and looked over to Morgan. "So you think the person doing this was in McAllister?"

He shook his head "Or has access to information. I don't know. I am getting Garcia to see if there is any information on what we were wearing that night."

"Well that is doubtful. It might be a lucky guess." A shrug.

Morgan looked doubtful and shook his head slowly. "Too close, too close."

He leaned over to his bag and pulled something out.

"Does this mean anything to you?" Morgan passed over a book to Spencer.

A paperback copy of 'Thus Spoke Zarathoustra by Neitzsche'. Reid took it and nodded. "Apart from having read it. It is associated with the McAllister case. The unsub had a copy of it. Where did this come from?"

"It was found with the last victim. Reid do you own a copy of this?"

"Of course I do." He started to flick through the pages quickly. He paused frowning at it and flicked through again. "Morgan, this is my copy."

"How can you tell?"

"There is a mark where I bent over a page when I didn't have a book mark. Page hundred and five and I got coffee on page sixty eight. This is definitely my copy."

……………….

He left his room with a headache. The cell phone stuck in his pocket and wearing what he had been the day before. Today he had someone coming round to look at a book. He really couldn't be bothered. He didn't really need the money from this sale. He could just pretend he wasn't in. Slowly down the dark corridors of his big empty house he walked. Another drink would be nice. Something to calm the nerves maybe. He didn't think he had ever been this worried about someone before. This worried over a sale or a doll but not over a person.

Floyd walked into the dark room he had sat and slept in briefly the night before. It was instant. Something hit him over the back of the head and something else caught him in the face as he started to go down. There was no noise. No shouting. Just instant pain. He felt his lip split and he tasted blood as boots kicked him in the stomach and head. Then just as he thought they couldn't hurt him any more everything went black.

…………….

Reid was still sitting looking at the book and wondering how someone had got hold of it when there was a tap at the door. "Room service."

"No thank you" Morgan called back

"I have a package for a Dr Spencer Reid. I was asked to deliver it personally."

Reid started to stand up, but Morgan motioned for him to stay and made a silence gesture at him. He pulled his gun and walked to the door. Morgan put the door on the chain and looked back at Reid who had stood up again. "Get down Reid." Morgan hissed and slowly opened the door.

"Dr Reid?" the man in uniform asked. Morgan nodded, and the package was handed over. Morgan slammed and locked it. He walked slowly over to where Reid was starting to stand up again.

"What is it?" He asked Morgan and put his hand out for it. Morgan turned it over in his hand and passed it over to Reid.

"We should get it checked out first." But Reid had already opened the flap and was dropping the contents onto his bed. He moved his hand slowly towards them. Morgan stood and looked. Photographs and a cell phone. He picked up one of the photos and looked. Derek saw Spencer's hand begin to shake.

"Oh god. Oh no." And his hand was moving to the cell phone.

"No Reid. Leave it. Don't touch. Glove up."

"It's Floyd. Someone has done something to him." Reid picked up another photo. "Morgan. What's going on?"

Morgan threw over a pair of gloves and donned a pair himself. Reid pulled on the blue gloves and slowly picked up the phone. He flipped it open. "This is Floyd's phone." He pressed buttons and looked at last calls made and messages sent. He stood and frowned. "Morgan, where is my cell phone?

Derek threw across the bag Reid had come out of hospital from the day before. After a little rummage Reid pulled it out and turned it on. A list of missed messages and calls. Some of them from Floyd.

……………..

They met up with Hotch and Prentiss at the home of Flanders.

"Nice place." Prentiss noted.

The front door was slightly open. "You been here before?" Aaron asked Reid – who shook his head as he pulled a flak jacket on over his head and fastened it at the sides. "OK be careful. This might be a trap."

They nodded and slowly with guns up and ready entered the home of Floyd Flanders.

The place was dark. Sitting on the floor just inside the door was a Polaroid camera. They all looked down at it. This meant there were in the right place at least. Slowly they moved down the hall. There was light coming from under the door to the right. This was the direction they all moved in. Torches cutting through the darkness. Aaron looked back at Reid who was chewing on his bottom lip and shining the torch up the walls. Hotch gently pushed the door open to the room where the light was coming from. He was about to enter, but stopped and took in the scene. Reid heard the collective gasp coming from Morgan and Hotch and moved forwards.

The four of them stepped into the room. It looked mostly untouched. It didn't appear to have been a burglary. But once again a staged crime scene and once again one which they could all remember only too well.

There was an old wooden chair sitting in the middle of the big room. Flanders was sitting on the chair with his head down and his hair covering his face. His hands were cuffed and the cuffs then attached to the bottom chair rail by a leather strap. Both of his shoes were removed and one sock. His right hand sleeve was rolled up. Scattered around on the floor in front of him were gutted fish.

"Son of a bitch." Morgan whispered.

……………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	9. Chapter 9 The Stalker

The Stalker.

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Derek Morgan had not taken too well to Flanders but he still wouldn't have wished this on him. Well not seriously anyway. They walked carefully into to the room, still not sure if this new victim was dead or alive. Prentiss put a hand on Reid's shoulder when he started to rush forward. "Wait – let them check things out first." And a gentle squeeze. She watched Hotch's fingers move over Flanders and rest on his neck where they stayed for a short while. He looked up and nodded. Prentiss pulled out her phone and called in the paramedics.

They quickly got the cuffs off and untied the strap and pulled Flanders to the floor to look at his injuries better. Reid was there now looking down on the man he had been having coffee with. This was his fault.

"I'm so sorry." He muttered as he crouched down next to him. "I didn't think you were in danger." Again he felt a hand on his shoulder. This time he swatted it away. "I don't understand. Why is someone doing this? What is the point in this except to freak us all out?"

Flanders had obviously been hit in the face a few times. The blood under his nose was still sticky, and he had been bleeding from his mouth, though if that was internal injuries or from the cut on his mouth they couldn't tell. He had nasty bruising on his neck and Reid had noted that the bare foot was black around the ankle. He was breathing though – shallow and shuddering, but he was breathing. They stood and waited for the EMT's. They walked quietly around the room taking in what they were seeing. Big display cabinets full of very strange objects. Old – ancient – and peculiar and book upon book – heavy leather bound and in protective casing. Tiny dolls and massive mannequins made the room feel like a creepy occult section of a museum.

Reid stayed with Flanders tentatively brushing his hand over Floyd's face and pushing his hair off his face. All he could think of was 'This is all my fault. I have done something and this is all my fault, but why was he left alive when all the others have been killed. "Why?"

He moved away when the medics arrived giving him oxygen and rolling him gently onto a body board. "I want to go to the hospital with him." Reid announced, but a sharp shake of the head from Hotch let him know that wasn't going to happen.

"I'll go with him." It was Prentiss. She looked across to Reid who obviously completely shaken by this whole scene. He looked down and watched the EMT's open Floyd's shirt and gasp at the extent of the bruising on his ribs. The first time he had seen the chest of the man he desired and it was covered in marks from a nasty kicking.

……………….

They stood in a confused huddle outside Flanders home and watched the ambulance rush the still unconscious Flanders to hospital. Reid was standing slightly back from Hotch and Morgan with his arms wrapped tightly around himself. Derek turned to look at him. "Don't go blaming yourself Reid. This isn't your fault." Empty words really. "This is the result of some sick psychopath. We will find out who is doing this." Reid looked up at Morgan and nodded. The CSU had arrived and were dusting and marking and photographing. They needed to know what they had touched and how they found everything when they arrived. Typical Feds stomping over the evidence.

………………..

From across the street standing just where he couldn't be seen was a small man in dark clothes. He stood and smiled and watched the ambulance pass with the flashing lights and stepped back and disappeared.

………………

"Reid." Aaron's voice made him jump. "You are staying with me tonight."

"Hotch, I don't think that is a good idea. What about the safe-house?" Reid was still recovering from his last visit to the Hotch household.

"Haley is in a hotel and under protection. I need you with me."

Reid was thinking this was exactly the sort of thing which had made her react the way she had. "If you don't mind, I would rather go back to Morgan's place, if that is OK with him."

Morgan heard and looked up and nodded. "Maybe a hotel again. My place isn't really suited to two guys." Reid smiled a little awkwardly and said a quiet thank you.

……………

Prentiss stood outside the room whilst they checked Flanders over. He had started to wake up now and seemed a bit confused. They had sedated him slightly and given him morphine to take away the pain he must have been in from the thorough slapping he had received. Emily needed to know when it would be alright to go and talk to him. She had a lot of questions. They made sure Flanders was comfortable and gave Prentiss the nod.

She stood at the foot of the bed and looked over to the man who was apparently a friend of Reid's. What was someone living in a place like they had just seen doing travelling on the subway? Wasn't that where Reid said he met him?

She waited until he looked over at her and she flashed her badge "Agent Prentiss. I need to ask you some questions. Do you feel up to it?"

He nodded slowly. "I don't remember much."

She walked around to the side of the bed. "We need to go further back than today. I want to know how you met Reid."

"I stalked him." Emily frowned. "Don't worry, it was done in a good way. I first came across him at a second-hand bookshop in the city. I asked who he was. I hired someone to get his address for me. I was told he caught the subway every – well nearly every morning, and so set about watching. In a harmless way. Just looking at him. I am a collector, and in a way I added him to my collection of desirables."

"Stalking an FBI agent is not the most sensible thing a person can do." She was making notes.

He half smiled at her. "It's all in the chase Agent Prentiss. That's where the fun is. When you have everything you could ever want, what else is there?"

"Drugs - You have been in rehab, you have had both heroin and cocaine addictions, and you drink too much." She stated.

"I drink too much. I drink when I am feeling down. It's an outlet. Do you know who hit me?" He staring right into her eyes.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Did you see anything? Hear voices?" She was still making notes.

"That was the strange thing. They or he or whoever - attacked in silence. I couldn't even hear breathing. I saw nothing. Almost like it was the shadows hitting me. A bit creepy."

Prentiss nodded "I can imagine so." At which point did you loose consciousness?"

Flanders closed his eyes and laid back down on his pillows. "At about the same time they kicked me in the head."

…………..

The explosion ripped through the upper most floor of the hotel. Haley felt the room she was in just below shudder and the central light shook then went out. The room was plunged into darkness as she listened to the fire alarms screaming around the building. Jack opened his mouth and let out an ear piercing wail.

"It's OK Jack…it's ok." She knew there was agents out side her room. They will come and tell her what to do. They will. Why are they not doing anything? She walked quickly to the door with a distressed Jack safely in her arms. She tested the door with her finger tips then carefully touched the door handle. All seems OK. They weren't hot. There shouldn't be a fire out there. Cautiously she turned the handle and pulled the door towards her. She was right. No fire – yet and by the looks of it, no agents either. The emergency lighting had come on and the passage was filled with an eerie red glow. It was then she noticed someone laying on the floor. It wasn't one of the agents who had been there. They had been in suits, but this person had an FBI flak jacket on with dark trousers and a yellowish coloured shirt. She stood and stared. He was laying on his front with his hands above his head and his fingers splayed.

"Oh my god - Reid is that you?"

She moved quickly to the form on the floor and saw a puddle of blood oozing out from around his head, and she could smell the unmistakable smell of half cooked flesh. She looked down at an envelope he had under his hand. It had her name on it. 'To Haley' She quickly snatched it up and stuffed it in her pocket.

She closed her eyes as her stomach turned and left the body on the floor, running for the fire exit with Jack still screaming in her arms.

………………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	10. Chapter 10 The Escalation

The Escalation 

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Prentiss looked down at her notes. Now she had a rough outline of how this was going to go she got ready for stage two. "I need to talk to you more about the 'stalking' business."

"I told you it was harmless. Just entertainment for myself. It was a long time before I contacted Spence."

"You found out where he lived. How exactly did you do that?"

"I paid for his name in the bookstore. It's amazing what people will give you for a fist full of cash." He paused, "Can you pass me that water please?"

Emily picked up the jug and poured a plastic tumbler of water and passed it to him. She noted his rough hands. Strange for a man who seemed to be no more than an odd curio collector.

"You paid for his name, but I need to know how you got his address."

He sipped the water and looked at Emily in the eyes again. "Do I need a lawyer?"

Prentiss stopped writing and tapped the pen a few times on her pad. "Address Flanders, how?"

"Fine – I hired a private detective. He followed Spence from the shop. He goes there almost every weekend. I had no idea he was a Federal Agent. I didn't know what he was. He looked like a student or something. He doesn't look like a Fed."

"So you were told he caught the subway most mornings and followed him?"

"I told you, I just watched. For a long time I just watched." He sighed. "I took note of how he reacted in front of people, and who he talked to, and who he looked at. I suppose it was a very rough profile of him. I guessed pretty early on – some of it – who he looked at, who he avoided eye contact with, who he was comfortable standing next to and who he wasn't." Another sip. "Then he got sick. I watched him very carefully then. I had seen that sickness before. I had seen it in my own mirror."

Emily was making notes and nodding.

"I found out where he worked. I still didn't realise he was an agent. I drank at the same coffee stand. I followed him everywhere. To the bar he frequents. Which is why I got the courage to finally talk to him.

…………….

She ran down the stairs with the other people, her bare feet cold on the stone floor, Jacks cries as loud as the emergency bells. _'Oh god it was Reid'_ she was thinking over and over. _'What happened to the other agents? Why was Reid here? What on earth made him come to me with a letter?'_ And someone pushed her from behind and her feet were slipping. She grabbed hold of the handrail with her free hand and sat down hard on the step, bumping her way down the last six, before the stampede of people behind her pushed Haley to the floor and ran over the top of her as she clutched Jack tightly and safely under her body.

Haley screamed.

…………….

They sat in Morgan's car going to a hotel to stay a night again. "Any chance of dropping me off at the hospital to see if he is alright?"

Morgan shook his head. "Not a chance in hell kid. Wait until he is released then go see him if you still have to. We need to find out why this son of a bitch is doing this first, and why. Until then, I think you better stay away."

Reid sighed and looked out of the side window.

"For his sake as much as yours Reid." A fire truck roared by them.

"It's my fault that happened." Another two fire trucks and a few police cars raced by them. Reid looked at the direction they were going. "What's happened?" Two ambulances. "Something has happened." Reid flipped his phone open and dialled JJ. More fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances flew by them.

……………

Hotch got the call about the explosion as it happened. His phone bleeped. With a sigh – it had been a long few days, and now Reid was driving off with Morgan. He flipped his phone open and put it to his ear.

"Agent Aaron Hotchner. You need to check up on your wife. I just blew her hotel up." And the line went dead.

…………..

Morgan and Reid were approaching the hotel they were going to stay in so pulled into the parking lot and listened to what JJ was saying. An explosion at the hotel Haley was staying in. The top floor – They couldn't get hold of the agents left to keep an eye on Haley, and she wasn't answering her cell phone. Get over there now – Hotch was on his way, and a message had been sent to Prentiss.

………….

Flanders sat and watched Prentiss leave. He didn't like her. She annoyed him with her silly questions. He wanted to go home. Be with his things again. Away from the stink of hospitals. Back to his whiskey, he must admit that was a big reason to want to go home. The lure. He pulled out the morphine drip and staggered out of the bed. His clothes were hanging in a wardrobe. Dirty, and somewhat blood smeared. He pulled them on anyway, and dragged his boot over his swollen ankle. It wasn't broken, just bruised, like the rest of him was. He stood and looked in the mirror and ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair and sighed. Everything always turned to dust. Some twist in fate didn't permit him to be happy. Everything just out of reach – enough money to last a normal man twenty lifetimes, and no one to spend it on. He could hear someone talking to him so turned to look at the face of the nurse.

"Mr Flanders, you really shouldn't be going home. Can you get undressed and get back into bed please. There are more tests to do."

"Erm – no – I am going home." He picked up his bag of stuff and had a quick look for his cell phone.

"Mr Flanders, I really need you to go back to bed. The rape kit, Sir, we need to discuss the results."

Floyd turned to her again. "Screw you - I'm going home."

"Mr Flanders – please – I would like to set up some counselling sessions with you. You need to be able to talk to someone about what happened"

He put a finger on her shoulder and gently pushed her to one side so he could walk by. "I am aware of what happened. I don't need to talk about it to someone who has seen how much money I have in my wallet thank you very much. If I need to talk to someone about it, I will arrange it. When, and if – not now, so kindly get your arse out of my way and let me go home."

"Sir, can I give some literature to read, it has telephone numbers and help lines. You might feel you need them."

"One more word from you missy and I am going to get mighty pissed. I don't get angry often, but you are really bugging me now. I told you I don't want to talk about it. Definitely not half in the corridor and definitely not with some blonde candyfloss tart with discount enamels."

He walked down the corridor in the hospital towards the elevator. It was a bank of four, and when the middle one pinged and the doors opened he stepped in. It was a roomy car and he was in there alone. He pressed for the ground floor and leaned back on the wall taking weight off his ankle. Damnit it hurt. He needed to get home before the morphine totally wore off so he could start his own self medication from the drinks cabinet. The elevator shuddered, and the lights went out.

"Crap, now what the hell?" Red emergency lighting came on.

It kept going down though at a steady rate, not stopping at any floors. Maybe a bit too fast? Maybe much too fast? Flanders stood and watched the numbers of the floors pinging up and knew something bad was about to happen. As ground floor approached and he wondered if this was the time to start preying to something, it slowed, the lights came back on, and it shuddered to a normal stop on the ground floor. When the doors pinged open he was met by a group of white faced people. He stepped out feeling sick and limping on his bad ankle.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" A woman with a buggy and toddler asked him.

He was about to nod when a screaming ripping metal on metal sound came from the car next to the one Floyd had just stepped out of. Everyone quickly stepped back out of the way. The woman with the buggy had grabbed Floyd by the arm and was pulling him away from the doors.

It made a horrendous smacking smashing noise as the elevator stopped at the ground floor and the doors pinging open. Floyd stood and looked at what was inside the car.

A young man in his twenties was on the floor. He was laying on his front in a gently increasing pool of blood. He had on a short sleeve white shirt and pale trousers. A messenger bag lay at his side and his hands were at shoulder height with his fingers splayed. There was a message written on the wall in blood.

"_Dear Derek Morgan, there are six elevator related deaths a year."_

…………………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	11. Chapter 11 Photo Opportunity

Photo Opportunity 

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

She lay in the half dark and smoke of the fire exit doors and held her son closely to her. She needed this to all be a dream. She needed the pain in her back and sides to go away so she could get up and escape from this burning building. Jack had stopped the screaming now and was making scared little noises. This worried Haley even more. She had to get up and keep moving. She must get out of this place before it was too late. Keeping Jack held tightly she sat up and looked down the red lit stairs she needed to be going. Just keep going down – keep going down – the fire crews must be on there way is not here already. Everything was going to be fine. She looked back up the way she had come from and could see an orange glow. Carefully and slowly she began her journey down the stairs.

…………..

He walked slowly out of the building. There was no reason to stay. He didn't want to watch them taking him away in a body bag. He couldn't have that as a final image. Flanders caught a cab and went silently back to his huge empty house and his huge empty life. He didn't go into the display room where he would normally have gone to relax. He didn't think he would be relaxing in there for a while. Maybe he did need to talk to someone about what happened, but the more he remembered and thought the stranger and more impossible it all seemed. They would mock him. They certainly wouldn't believe him, so for now he would keep his bit of information tucked carefully away in the back of his mind. He supposed it would come out and play with him in his sleep. Something he intended to try to do now. He walked slowly up the sweeping stair case in the gloom of his big old house and into the gigantic room he slept in. The maid had been in and tidied up his room, but he didn't know if anything had been touched downstairs yet. Presumably the CSU had made a mess in there.

He manoeuvred to his bed via the drinks cabinet and pulled out a bottle, a pack of something to smoke and an ashtray. He then pulled out a drawer and opened up a concealed section at the back. He still had his needles and all he would need to get that feeling back again and a couple of twists of white powder in clear cellophane. He ran his fingers over it all then slammed the drawer shut. Grabbing up the house phone he walked to the huge four poster bed and fell back on it. Alone again. Always alone.

His fingers played lightly over the buttons on the phone. He knew Spencer's cell number. He had called it so many times and then hung up, just to hear that 'Hello?' from the other end. He dialled the number and put the phone to his ear.

Straight to answer-phone. Some pre- recorded voice. Not even Spence. He threw the phone across the room and watched the bits fall to the floor in the shadows. He looked down at the smokes and ash tray and back over to the drawer he had slammed shut. Rolling off the bed he returned to his secret stash and pulled out a twist of cellophane, a mirror and a razor blade and returned to his bed.

……………..

Hotch stood looking up at the blazing building. A hard face concealing the pain and panic. Somewhere in there was his wife and son. He stood helplessly unable to help. He flinched as a hand touched his shoulder, and turned to look. It was Morgan and Reid, but it was Morgan standing close and Reid keeping back looking up at the flames with his mouth slightly open. Hotch looked at him for a while and wondered what this all had to do with Reid, and if this actually did have something to do with him and his creepy friend. He looked at Morgan and frowned.

"Haley and Jack are in there." He said quietly. The hand on his arm got tighter.

"They will find her. The explosion was on the floor above hers. The agents are there with her. She is probably already out." Morgan turned to Reid. "Reid, stay here with Hotch, I am going to see if I can find out any information." Reid gave a small nod but carried on looking at the flames.

"Aaron" – Reid's quiet voice next to him now. "What is going on? I want you to tell me what was so bad about the body at your house. I need to try to work out what is going on."

"Not now Reid."

"Aaron – these cases are all linked, I need to know how."

"Reid, I said not now."

"I can start trying to figure this out. I feel helpless standing here." His hands were twisting as he looked up at the flames. "The six bodies we were alerted to first –"

"Not now Reid." And Hotch walked off leaving him standing there. Had he said something wrong again? He was about to wrap his arms around himself but something made him think of his cell phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and noticed it was still turned off. He pressed the on button and looked down the list of missed calls. The last one was from Floyd's home phone. Reid punched in the number.

…………..

The phone down in the main hallway rang, as did the phone in the display room and the office. The phone on the breakfast room wall also rang. However the phone laying smashed in the shadows of Flanders bedroom remained silent. Not that he would have heard it in the condition he now found himself, head tipped back and dribbling slightly his eyes stared up at a million visions from hell.

………….

Haley could see someone running towards her. At last help. The rescue worker grabbed the child from her arms and lifted her over his shoulders and quickly went the way he had come. She could hear Jack's screams as they finally broke out of the fire escape exit into the light of emergency vehicles.

………….

Reid waited for the line to cut him off before he gave up on Flanders answering. He must be out of the house and he didn't have his cell phone so there was no way to get hold of him now. He looked up at Aaron's back slowly walking away and jogged to keep up with him. "Hotch – one minute." But he wasn't listening he was looking at Morgan running back towards them.

"It's OK Hotch, they have Haley and Jack, checking them over at the ambulances." He grabbed Hotch by the arm and guided him back over to where the EMT's were working. Reid remained where he was. Haley really wouldn't be in the mood to see him now. Slowly he walked back to the SUV's and JJ contacted Morgan.

"Hey JJ what's going on?"

"The hospital they were treating Reid's friend in. There has been an accident. Please tell me Reid is there with you."

Morgan glanced around but couldn't see Reid.

"He was five minutes ago, JJ what's happened?"

"Another staged murder. The elevator. Another Reid look-alike. The message is for you. Written in blood on the wall of the car." She read off the message, and Morgan felt sick.

"JJ Reid told me that, when he freaked out in the elevator. I need to go and find him." He flipped his phone shut and looked around for Reid again.

……………

Hotch took his son into his arms and had never felt such relief in his life. How could he have risked this for Reid? He looked over at Haley who was pulling a letter out of her pocket.

"Aaron, Reid was there. I saw him. He had this letter. It has my name on it, but I don't want to open it." Her face was sooty and she had tear tracks down her face. With shaking hands she handed the letter over.

Hotch shook his head. "Reid has been with me – the team all the time Haley, it couldn't have been him." He opened up the envelope and read the message.

'_The false lapwynge full of trecherye.' _Was all it said. Hotch looked confused and glanced over this shoulder for Reid. He might know what it meant – or what it referred to.

Hotch turned to Morgan. "Where is Reid?" A sudden flash of panic.

…………….

Flanders stood at his big bay window in his stupidly too big house full of old and valuable junk. He could see people moving around in his back yard. The effects of the narcotics still running through his brain as the people seemed to morph into something demonic dragged from his dreams. He placed his palms on the glass and leaned his forehead against it. He could see something going on in his pool, but couldn't get his brain to work out what it was. Then it was over and the things moved back and left something floating in his pool. He started to hammer on the glass and shout.

"Hey you get out of my pool you sons of bitches!" But they just floated in small circles spreading a red glow from the under-lighting. "Hey." He said a bit softer now. "That's my pool you are messing up."

And the hammering started on his door as the glass cracked under his hands and something howled its way through the house. Flanders turned to see what it was. Something coming up the stair, thumping and crashing. He could hear his precious art work smashing to the floor and watched the door to his overly large bedroom smash open. He wondered for a second what the hell had been in the stuff he had sniffed up his nose as his back was forced against the glass of the big bay and he and the window exploded outwards and down to the patio below.

……………

Reid pulled up outside Flanders home. The lights were out but his silver SUV was sitting in spot he always parked it. He had a huge garage but still parked his car outside. The man had odd habits. Reid stepped out of the car he had borrowed and walked up to Floyds front door. Laying on the doorstep was an envelope

'_Dr Spencer Reid'_

It said in big bold writing.

He pulled the flap open on the back and tipped out the contents. A small pile of photographs. Polaroids of himself in a pool – fully dressed. There was only one place they could have come from, and that photographer had the film taken from him, and was definitely not using a Polaroid camera. There was a message written on a bit of pink paper.

'_That camera should have been a gun.'_

………………….

**!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!**


	12. Chapter 12 Love Is Blynde

Love Is Blynde

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

The officer standing beside the vehicles nodded over to Morgan who was running in his direction.

"Where's the car I came in?" he asked.

The cop looked puzzled for a second then said "Oh your partner speed of in it like the demons from hell were after him about ten minutes ago."

Morgan kicked at some invisible thing on the ground and cursed under his breath. "Damn you Reid. What are you playing at?"

He opened his cell and speed dialled Reid. Straight to answer-phone. Something was wrong. He knew, something was very wrong and it was getting worse as the days and nights passed. He re-dialled Hotch this time.

"Reid has taken one of the SUV's and has his cell off. I have an idea where he might be off to."

"I'll come with you." Hotch handed Jack back to Haley. "I need to go and find someone."

She took their son back from him and her eyes drifted down to the floor. "You are chasing after him aren't you? After all this, you are still going to chase Reid"

He put a hand out to his wife. "He is one of my agents Haley, that is all."

She slapped his hand away. "Go then, go find your precious Spencer!"

"Haley, it's not like that."

But she had turned her back to him and was talking to Jack. He walked quickly to where Morgan was standing with Prentiss. JJ was dealing with the press.

"You think you know where he is?" Hotch asked Morgan.

He nodded, and Prentiss sighed and looked at the ground. "To find Flanders."

………………..

He let the pictures drop to the ground and slowly walked up to the front door. Last time he had been here Floyd had been found battered and tied up, what was he going to find this time. Again the front door was open. Again everything felt very wrong. He pulled his gun and slowly entered the main entrance hall of Flanders house. There were stairs sweeping up to his right and high walls covered in art. There was a door to his right and an open arch way directly ahead. The place was in total darkness. Reid pulled out a torch and shone it again over the walls of the house. The light glittered on broken glass at the foot of the stairs. That hadn't been here before. He walked slowly towards it.

"Floyd?" His voice echoed back to him, but drawn to the stairs he started to make his way up them. Paintings were ripped off the walls and smashed to the ground. Reid looked confused over this destruction. These were expensive artworks, why would someone do this to them? Slowly stepping over the broken picture frames he walked up the stairs.

The top of the stairs opened to a dark corridor and a door to his right again, this one was open and torn off its hinges. He shone his torch over the door and pointed his gun towards it.

"Floyd? It's Spence, are you there?" Again nothing.

Slowly and with the tight feeling of panic gripping his stomach he walked through the door. The room was enormous. Probably two rooms converted to one, Reid thought. His torch light flickered around the room with his shaking hands. It looked like a tornado had happened in here. Again things ripped off the walls and bits everywhere.

"Floyd!" a loud whisper the torch light shaking and flying over the walls to the broken window. He stood and looked at the mess then walked over to the smashed window. He looked out and saw a swimming pool. It was lit from under the water and floating on the top two people. One fully dressed the other in a black bikini.

"No." he let out in a breath. Then his eyes caught the thing laying on the patio under window in the glass. "Oh god no." He turned and ran back the way he came.

………..

They pulled up next to the SUV Reid had arrived in. At least they knew they were in the right place. They entered the building as Reid was hurtling down the stairs. He stopped and looked at them with wide wet eyes. He opened his mouth to say something then ran towards the back of the house. Hotch was clutching the photos, Emily and Morgan followed Reid's mad run down the dark passage ways. Reid suddenly stopped and turned to them.

"We need to get out back. Now!" He was standing in a panic. The wetness of his eyes was now trickling down his face. "We need to help him Derek." And Reid put his back to the wall and slid down until he was sitting sobbing into his knees. Hotch walked around the corner as Morgan and Prentiss continued their search for a way to get out of the back of the house.

"Reid?" Hotch crouched down next to the young agent. "What's going on? These pictures." Reid looked up at Hotch.

"Lila." He took the pictures from Hotch. "I fell in the pool."

Hotch nodded. "I remember."

Reid chewed on his bottom lip. "The photographer. His pictures were destroyed. Where did these come from?" A pause. "This makes no sense Hotch. Why is someone doing this to me? To my friends." A shuddering sob travelled through him and his fingers let go of the pictures. "Out in Flanders pool. I am sorry. I am so sorry. This is all my fault, I just don't know how to make it stop."

Emily came running back from where the kitchen is. "I have called the EMT's and crime scene unit. Two victims in the pool. Flanders is awake and lucid. He is very lucky his head didn't hit the patio but ended up in the flowerbed. Reid, he will be OK. Go see him."

"I I can't. I can't." But slowly he stood up and walked back to the kitchen with Emily.

Morgan was bent down over Flanders and they were talking quietly. Reid heard him say. "He's here now. Just don't move until they have checked you out."

Reid knelt on the broken glass and smiled down at Flanders. There was a small trickle of blood coming from his nose and a small tear leaking from the corner of his eye. Morgan stood up and squeezed Reid's shoulder. Then left them to comfort each other whilst he checked out the pool.

The two victims were both in their twenties and both looked like they had died of multiple gun shot wounds. Morgan knew Reid wasn't going to like this but the primary suspect was going to be Flanders. He stood and scratched his head then walked back to where Hotch and Prentiss were standing.

"The photos are not of this scene. The pool is different and obviously that isn't Reid and Lila. This makes no sense at all. How is this person managing to get to so many places so quickly and not be seen." Hotch turned to look at Flanders. "Unless the unsub was seen this time." Hotch moved over to Reid and put a hand on his arm. "I need to talk to you. Inside now."

Reid looked up at the hard face of his boss. "Hotch." Big pleading eyes.

"Now Reid."

Spencer nodded and ran a careful hand over Floyd's. "The EMT's will be here soon."

"Reid!" Hotch was pissed at him. With a sigh he got up and walked into Flanders' kitchen.

"I understand that this is stressful Spencer, but you are a Federal Agent, and I need you to start acting like one. I have left my wife and son to come running after you."

"Aaron- I had to know he was alright."

He held out a bit of paper to Reid. "Haley was sent this. Does it mean anything to you?"

Reid took it and glanced at it. "Chaucer - Parlement of Fowles. This is the same source that Garner used." He looked at the handwriting. "This isn't written by the same person. This person is left handed. The first messages we received were all written by someone right handed. This is different. The way the letters slant, this is cursive the other notes were printed carefully."

He stood and looked at the paramedics roll Floyd onto a board again and he sighed deeply. "Hotch."

"No Spencer. You are staying with Morgan. We all need to sleep. I need to get back to Haley." He looked over at the medics and walked over quickly. "I need him checked for GSR. Don't clean him up."

The medic turned and looked at the hard faced Agent. "I am sorry sir but this man has fallen a long distance from a window. If I need to clean him up to get to his wounds then I will."

Aaron grabbed the medic by her arm and pulled her away from Floyd. "He is a suspect in a double murder. You will do as I request. Actually you will leave him until the CSU have arrived and checked him out for me."

"Sir!" The medic tried to pull away.

"He is not going to die, and I need to either prove it is him, or prove it isn't, you will not be helping by getting in the way and so I am asking you to step away from him until we have checked his hands and clothes for GSR."

"Sir really – He needs to go to hospital now."

Reid walked slowly back over to Floyd and bent down to hold his hand. "What happened? Did you see what happened in the pool?"

"Spence. I was drugged. I took something to help me – help me sleep. I was hallucinating. I don't know what I saw now."

"I'm sorry about all this. I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault Spence."

Hotch stood and watch the exchange between Reid and Flanders, and wanted to stop it. He wanted to go and comfort Reid, but Morgan was going to have that pleasure tonight. Really he needed to go back and see if Haley was alright. To save his marriage and keep his son close. He had to let go of Reid, but this was going to be hard, and he knew he would have to slowly wean himself off him.

And looking from the upstairs spare bedroom a pair of dark red eyes looked down at the scene and a mouth with too many sharp teeth smiled.

…………..

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	13. Chapter 13 Arms Of Comfort

Arms Of Comfort.

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

_Let us leave pretty women to men devoid of imagination. – Marcel Proust_

Reid was directed away from Flanders and received a barrage of questions from the CSU about what he had touched.

"N n nothing. I didn't touch anything"

The CSU supervisor didn't look happy. Damned Feds walking all over his crime scene was a bad enough but this particular Agent seemed like he had a screw loose. He watched the young agent standing there with his hands wrapped tightly around himself looking at the bodies being removed from the pool.

"You didn't open any doors?"

"No – no the doors were open."

"You thought to put something on your feet? Are we going to find your footprints all over the house?"

"Erm – Sorry?" Reid was not listening; he was now watching the crime scene crew taking samples from Flanders. "Excuse me, but what are they doing that for?" He turned from the man and started to walk over to his friend. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Dr Reid, I need to ask you some questions."

"What?" he turned back to the man from the lab. "What questions?"

"Are we going to find your footprints all over the house Dr Reid?" He noted how unsettled and distressed this agent seemed to be. Definitely not normal. He made a mental note to look further into this person who happened to arrive at the house just after it all happened. He didn't like coincidences like that.

"I went up the stairs and into the back bedroom. I didn't touch anything." Reid turned and watched the paramedics taking Flanders away to the awaiting ambulance.

"Did you think to glove up?" The man was standing uncomfortably close to Reid now, who started to back off looking puzzled.

"I didn't touch anything." He repeated and turned to walk off to find Hotch. He wanted to know what they had been taking GSR samples from Floyd for. As he moved away the crime scene analyst took him by the arm again.

"I will find out if you were involved in this. Your badge won't protect you."

But Reid's mind was a long way away now and locked on talking to Hotch. This man from the lab wouldn't be able to distract him.

Hotch was looking down at the two wet forms laying at the side of Flanders pool. Reid stood next to him and looked at the empty open eyes. The sort of eyes Morgan had told him about once. Accusing eyes. "Hotch. Why did you request GSR tests on Flanders? You think he did this?" Pointing to the carnage, "And then threw himself out of a window?" He stood and looked down at the bodies now being enclosed in bags.

"I didn't say that. I need him cleared. He was the only one here when this happened, and he was drugged. He admitted as much." Hotch looked over at Reid and could see the hurt on his face. He did what any one would have done and put an arm around the young agent's shoulder. Then did something that only Hotch would and pulled Reid close. "It will be OK Spencer. Whoever is doing this is very sick and we will find out who it is." Reid took in the warm safe comfortable scent of Aaron and sighed deeply.

……………

Reid lay under the covers in the hotel room. He was looking at the shadows on the ceiling and listening to Morgan's steady breathing. He could feel something pulling at the back of his mind. Something nasty and something he didn't want to close his eyes for. He watched as something floated down from the ceiling he had been inspecting. Black coils of something. He opened his mouth to alert Morgan but something coiled around his throat and pulled his head to the side. He felt things sliding over his body and slipping across his stomach. He wanted to scream but the coils were now wrapped around his face and sliding down into his mouth. A pain unlike anything he had ever felt before and a popping feeling when the slimy rubbery tentacle broke through his flesh just below his navel and started its journey under Reid's skin. They were now in his hair and pulling at his neck and head.

When his neck snapped it made a strange cracking noise and all pain instantly stopped. He could hear a voice but was unable to move. He was staring at the wall of the hotel room and tried to concentrate on what was being said. He was going to die. He knew that much. If someone moved him he would be instantly snuffed out. He could feel someone touching his hair and talking to him.

"Reid, wake up."

He was awake.

"Reid, you are having a nightmare. Wake up."

"Don't move my head Morgan. I will die" He whispered.

"Reid you had a nightmare."

He could feel the weight of Morgan sitting on the bed next to him and then he could feel a hand on his chest. "Don't." Reid muttered

"Look at me Reid." Morgan put a hand gently under Reid's head and turned his head to so he could see him. He had wide scared eyes and tear tracks.

Reid turned to look at Morgan and at first he saw him and all seemed to be fine. Yes it was a nightmare but the image of Derek morphed into something else and he could feel his neck was wrong and he felt his hands twitching and again something tightening around his neck only this time he was able to scream.

Morgan turned Reid so he was laying on his right side facing the wall and lay down next to him. He wasn't fighting him off; he just seemed to be in a state of total terror. He slipped one arm under Reid's thin shoulder and the other around him and placed a hand on his chest. He could feel Reid's heart thumping madly. "Reid man, wake up."

More muttering but he couldn't work out what Reid was saying. Morgan knew about nightmares, so he wrapped his arms tighter around Spencer so at least when he woke up he would feel safe.

Spencer could feel himself being rolled onto his side. He could feel arms around him. He tried to beg whatever it was to let him go, to leave him alone, to not do this to him. But it did anyway.

……………

Hotch sat holding a sleeping Jack. "It can't carry on like this Aaron."

"Like what? This is my job Haley. You knew that." He didn't take his eyes off his young son sleeping so innocently.

Haley sat on the bed next to Aaron. "You know what I am talking about."

"I am here Haley. I am here with you and Jack. This is where I need to be, and where I want to be." Haley leaned gently on her husband and rested her head on his shoulder and Aaron wished it was Spencer.

……………

Flanders lay in his hospital bed. They had pulled chunks of glass out of his back and splinters out of his scalp. He had requested the phone so he could arrange someone to go and fix his window and was waiting for detective Morrison to come and talk to him about what happened.

Morrison was short with a tightly cropped hair cut. A small tough looking man. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Flanders bed.

"Up to answering some questions?"

"Not really. Come back later."

"I wasn't really giving you an option Flanders."

"So it seems. What did you want to know?" He rolled over onto his side so he could see the detective easier and winced in pain.

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

"No. I don't know what I saw."

"Elaborate."

"I was hallucinating. I don't know what was real."

"Hallucinating why?"

"I snorted some coke. I had a bad trip, and I fell out of the window. That's all I know."

"You didn't fall. That is a definite push. What happened?" The detective was watching Floyd carefully.

A small painful shake of the head. "I have no idea."

"I need you to think carefully Flanders. Who was with you. What did you do with the gun?"

Floyd grimaced as he tried to sit up. "The what?"

"The weapon you used to kill the people in your pool while you were out of your brains on some drug."

"I don't own a gun. I didn't kill anyone!"

"Then explain the Gun Shot Residue you are covered in."

…………….

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	14. Chapter 14 Shattered

Shattered 

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

He awoke to half shattered memories of the night before. His neck hurt his eyes hurt. He was hurting. He could feel arms around him and as he opened his eyes and looked down he saw the dark skin of Morgan. A shudder swept through his body as he carefully tried to extract himself from the older man.

"Reid." Morgan's sleepy voice.

"I need a shower." Was all he said and quickly went to the hotel bathroom. He turned on the water and stood watching it for a while. He went to the mirror and looked at his face. The darkness around them was deep is sickly looking today. Spencer slowly unbuttoned his shirt with trembling fingers and noticed marks on his neck. Big nasty marks like something had been garrotting him. He ran his fingers slowly over the marks and looked at the closed door. Pulling off the shirt he could see marks like fingers had been pressed to his skin on his forearms. He was hoping it had been a nightmare. He was sure some of it was, but you don't get psychosomatic bruises from a night mare. If this had really happened what else had? He looked down again at his trembling hands and then to the closed door again.

Spencer moved quickly and threw the lock on the door then stood with his back to it. What was going on? Why was this happening to him? He felt sick. He thought Morgan was a friend but the memories of the night before came flooding back so hard that it made his head swim. He didn't know what to do. Hotch was with Haley. Floyd was in hospital, Gideon had just gone. Everyone gone. Quickly he picked up his shirt and put it back on again. He took a deep breath and unlocked and opened the door. The shower was still running hot steamy water.

Derek looked up from the magazine he was reading over to Spencer. It was obvious he hadn't had a shower as his hair was in a state of extreme fluffiness. Reid avoided looking at Morgan and put on his shoes. His cell was on the nightstand – he snatched it up, still avoiding Morgan's curious look.

"What are you doing?" He finally asked.

Reid chewed on his bottom lip and looked around for his bag.

"Reid, what's wrong?"

Spencer turned his body to face Morgan but his eyes he kept down. He nervously scratched his neck. "You know full well what is wrong. I thought I could trust you. You took advantage of me Morgan." And he turned snatching up his bag from a corner by the door and went to leave the room.

"Wait up man, what are you talking about. You had a nightmare – I was just helping."

Reid was walking out of the door with the parting shot of something he couldn't quite make out.

…………

He had to get away. He didn't know where to, but away. He needed time to get his head together. Reid hadn't been back to his own apartment in days, and now he knew that the Thus Spake Zarathoustra book had been taken from his place he wasn't all that keen on returning. He had turned off his cell phone, but he knew this SUV could be tracked so he pulled over into a rental lot and went up to the office.

Five minutes later he was leaving in a small four by four. He pointed it north and started to drive. They wouldn't miss him. He was no good on this case anyway. If he got out of the way maybe the murders will stop. Maybe.

He pulled of the main roads and drove up the forest lanes. Reid noticed how the gas seemed to be getting low and made a note to fill up at the next station. The next place he could fill up at was an old place with two pumps out the front. He pulled up and got out of the car. With his mind on a million things, mainly what he thought Morgan had done he walked up the two wooden steps at the front of the small wooden building and pushed the doors open, still looking down at his feet with his fingers in his front pockets. The first he realised something was not quite right was when he felt something hard and cold pressing into his back. He stood deathly still and watched as a hand moved around and took his gun from its holster.

Spencer slowly moved his hands out of his pockets and raised them to head level. He cautiously looked up to see a man bound on the floor by the counter and a woman with blood spreading over her chest over next to the milk and other chilled foods.

"On your knees." And the gun was pressed harder into his back. This didn't look good. This looked very bad. The man who was tied up had been beaten and from where Reid was standing it didn't look like he was breathing. He slowly dropped to his knees, but he still hadn't been able to get a look at who this person was, or if there was more than one.

"Hands behind your back" Another voice- both male. Reid tried to think of something to say. Something clever, something like Gideon had done with the Footpath killer, but he didn't know what to do. He put his hands behind his back and felt the nylon cuffs tighten.

It was when a hand went to take his wallet that the panic really set in. "I I what – what do - ?" and he moved to the side slightly in an attempt to distract them from his ID.

"Keep still." The first voice again and the owner of the prying hands. He felt the wallet leave his pocket and heard a soft moan from behind.

Reid turned and rolled onto his back so he was facing his assailants. He needed to be able to identify these people. Two big dark skinned men with shaven heads and prison style tattoos were looking from his ID back to him. Fantastic! How could life get any better?

And something hard cracked him across the side of the head.

…………………..

Flanders life had gone from boring and safe to very exciting and dangerous over night. He had been cuffed by one hand to the bed and now Hotchner was going to be coming to talk to him. This was insane.

Hotch entered the large hospital room and looked at Flanders.

"There is a lot of explaining to do." He was to the point. Yes there was.

"I didn't kill anyone."

"You were covered in GSR. Care to explain how?"

"You wont believe me if I told you."

Hotch got a chair and pulled it closer. "You are in a lot of trouble. You need to tell me everything."

"You already have me tagged as guilty."

"Prove me wrong. Tell me everything from when you got home to when we found you in the flowerbed."

"I thought Spence was dead. I thought that was him in the elevator. I went home. I got some coke and I got some whiskey, and I didn't care if I never woke up again. I had a bad trip. I thought I saw things in my back yard, but they didn't look right. They looked deformed, but its just memories from the drugs, it means nothing. I remember hammering on the glass for them to stop. My pool water was going a funny colour. Then the noise coming up the stairs. A horrific noise. I won't be using that supplier again. Something just came for me. I couldn't see it. It was dark and I remember feeling the glass give way, and that's it. I didn't shoot anyone."

……………….

They put a gag around the unconscious face of the Fed they had captured. They tied his feet together and blindfolded him. They then threw him into the trunk of their car and making sure there was no one left alive, they drove off up the forest road with pockets full of money and grins on their faces.

…………….

Arlington PD was busy. Drunks still being dealt with, a couple of ladies of the night were being processed. There had been a gang shooting that night and some gangers had been dragged in with their cuzzz's and were being questioned.

Interview room four was empty.

So when the alarms went off that it had been compromised they were a bit confused. Officer Denton went to investigate why the alarms had suddenly been activated.

The door was open so he walked in expecting to see one of the gangers there. There was someone there, but not as he expected. He called out for assistance.

Laying on the floor with a broken neck and what appeared to be a badly battered face was a young looking man with collar length brown wavy hair. He was in a pale green and white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a green sweater vest and brown cords. He had one hand laying over his chest with a letter in it. The other above his head with the elbow bent. The cop picked up the letter and looked at the writing on the front. _'SSA Aaron Hotchner.'_

On the floor next to the body was a pair of hand cuffs and a selection of photos of dead children.

………………………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	15. Chapter 15 Folding

Folding.

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Derek was fuming with anger. He had an idea of what Reid was implying but he had never touched the boy in that way. No one had. It was just part of his nightmare, and now he had taken off in the SUV and Morgan was left standing in the parking lot in his bare feet, his work trousers and a white vest. He suddenly felt like a dark skinned version of Bruce Willis in Die Hard, and turned quickly back to the hotel pulling his phone from his pocket and calling Hotch.

……………

He awoke in darkness. He could hardly move and his face was covered just leaving his nose to breathe through. He pulled at the cuffs behind his back and tried to kick his feet, but he was very well secured. He lay still and tried to work out where he was. It wouldn't have taken his genius brain to figure it out pretty quickly though. The smell of gas fumes, the smell of oil, the movement. He was in the trunk of a car. Wonderful. Spencer attempted to roll over onto his back, but the way he was secured and the tightness of the space he was in wouldn't permit it so now he started to panic. No one knew where he was. He had dumped the SUV so he couldn't be traced. His cell was off. Actually the guys who hit him probably had his phone. His gun was gone and the other people at the gas station were dead, and he had seen them. This was not good. This was very bad. They wouldn't have taken him if they didn't have something planned. Not now he had seen them. Why hadn't they killed him?

Spencer pulled harder at the cuffs and could feel them cutting into his skin and making his wrists slippery. He didn't bother trying to scream. The car was moving fast, there was no way anyone would hear him. He would save that for when they stopped. He tried getting the gag out of his mouth and the blind fold off, but they were too tight. A small whimpering sound came from deep inside Reid.

……………..

Hotch got the call from Arlington PD. They told him what they had found and they told him of the letter. They however hadn't opened it.

"Can you open it for me, and read the message?" He could hear the sound of an envelope opening and the rustling of paper.

'_Persecution of the innocents.'_

"That is all it says?" Hotch was pacing. "Fax me a copy and get that one sent to the labs for testing."

He stood and thought of the message and what was going on and picked up his cell.

"SSA Hotchner. I need the clothing for Flanders re-tested. Something is wrong." As he closed his phone it bleeped again.

It was a call from Garcia. They had tracked Reid's SUV to the rental lot and they knew what he was driving now and they were tracking it as they speak.

……………………..

The vehicle was now going over rough ground. Reid could feel pot holes as the car pulled off the road and down into a forest lane. He renewed his struggles in the trunk of the car but only managed to cut the nylon binders deeper into his flesh. He needed to remain calm. There was not enough air in here to let him panic and the quality was poor. He didn't want to be sick. Being sick with a gag on was not a good idea and a panic attack right now was not what he wanted.

_Stay calm. There will come a time when they will let you out. You are a profiler. You are an FBI agent. You can deal with this. You just need to keep a straight head. What would Gideon have done? But this wouldn't have happened to Gideon, he would have known what to say. He would never get compromised like this._

When the car stopped – which felt like hours later, he thought his heart would stop with it. The fear of being locked in the dark was now over ridden by the fear of being let out and not knowing what was going to happen. He felt the sudden rush of air on his face and heard the creaking of the trunk being opened.

He could feel the binders on his feet being cut then was grabbed under the arms and lifted out of the trunk. They still kept the blindfold on but finally they undid the rough gag. Spencer took in big deep gulping breaths. His legs didn't want to keep him standing and he could feel he was slowly sliding back to the ground again.

"What – what do you w w want with m me?" His voice was dry and faint. The familiar stutter of panic and the feeling that this was all going to end really soon. Hands grabbed his hair and pulled him back to standing again.

"Shut your mouth Fed or I will gag it with something."

With the hand in the hair still Spencer was dragged over the rough ground, his feet stumbling on things he couldn't see. He tripped on a small step and went down again to his knees. He felt the pain shoot through his knees and up his legs, but he wasn't going to let these two men know the fear and pain he was feeling right now. He was going to keep that inside him for now. He tried again to think of what Gideon would do and when that failed he tried to think how Hotch would handle this situation, but he knew neither man would get in this situation. Neither man would let Morgan do that to them.

Again Reid felt the cold metal of a gun. This time it was to the side of his face. "Try to escape and I pull the trigger and I would really like to kill a dirty Fed scum with his own gun, so don't tempt me."

Spencer made no noise and made no movement. He stayed kneeling with his own gun pressing into his flesh as one of the assailants cut the binders on his hands. For a brief second Reid felt the blood rushing back to his hands. The healing cuts on his wrists started to bleed again. His arms grabbed and now his hands were bound in front of him. The gun moved away from his face and was pushed up under his chin.

"I want to do it now." The voice of the man with the gun.

"Where is the fun in that? I want to see this thing beg." The gun was removed as he felt movement again and he was being pulled to his feet. "You don't look old enough to be a Fed. You on work experience or something?"

"Time to introduce him to our friends. Come on kid. Hope you like dogs."

……………………

Hotch got the call he was waiting for. The lab came back with more information on the GSR. OK yes Hotch was right; there was something strange about it. Flanders had GSR on his hands which would be expected. It was also on one side of his face and his clothes. All as they expected. Nothing strange. What they did think odd was that the retesting of the clothes showed GSR on his back, across his shoulders, and on the skin of his back which they had taken samples from when they removed the glass from him. The pattern was totally random, and it couldn't have got on his skin under his shirt unless someone else put it there.

Hotch was confused.

Flanders was un-cuffed.

Derek was beside himself with anger. He got the call from Pen. She had the location of the car Reid had on rental. It was stationary at a gas station.

This is where they headed.

Hotch drove, Morgan sat shot gun and Emily sat in the back.

"So they are releasing Flanders?" she said. "On the GSR results. Even though he was tripping when it happened?"

Hotch nodded. "I don't think he did it. As much as I dislike the man, I don't think he shot the people in his pool then got rid of the gun, then jumped backwards out of his bedroom window."

"If he was tripping on drugs though he could have done anything."

"He got rid of the weapon, and destroyed his valuable art? It doesn't fit. It's wrong. Whoever is doing these things to Reid did this too. Where would Flanders have got pictures of Reid in the pool?"

"He is a stalker. He admitted as much."

They pulled into the parking lot of the small garage to see crime scene tape. Morgan thumped the dashboard as Hotch pulled up and they all quickly got out of the SUV. They couldn't see Reid's rental.

Hotch walked over to the officer who seemed to be in charge and showed him his ID. "What's going on here?" Hotch asked.

"Feds?" the officer replied.

"Just answer the question." Morgan this time.

"A hold up. Two fatalities. Wouldn't have thought the Feds would be interested."

Morgan was looking around and Emily was walking over to the doors of the small building. She really didn't want Reid to be one of those fatalities.

"Any other vehicles?" Hotch again "We are looking for a small silver SUV."

The officer started to walk away. "It's round the back. Getting prints off it now. This way."

"Wait – who do these other cars belong to?" Morgan was looking over at two other vehicles park haphazardly in the lot.

The officer stopped and turned around. "One of them was stolen last night. Owner is in the city. One belongs to one of the victims. The owner of this place, well his car isn't here but he is, so guessing someone took it. We have no idea who the car round the back belongs to, but guessing you do. That's why you are here?"

…………………

Spencer was guided across what now felt like concrete. He could hear dogs barking and howling. Dogs and Reid didn't get on very well together. He hesitated and was rewarded with a slap around the head.

"Keep walking." And a push from behind. He stumbled again not being able to see where he was going, but he refused to let them know how scared he was. He knew this is how Gideon would have handled this. He knew Gideon wouldn't have freaked. He needed to keep that in his mind. _Stay calm and they are far less likely to hurt you. Stay calm Spencer. If they were going to kill you they would have already._

A hand on the top of his head and he was pushed down to his knees. Someone was in front of him now dragging him forwards on his knees. He could feel the skin on his knees cutting, he could feel hot scared tears building up behind his eyes. The only advantage of the blindfold, he could let the tears go and they wouldn't know. He felt his hands being pulled forward and tied to something and someone removed his shoes and then this belt.

He stayed kneeling. He stayed silent. He didn't want to aggravate these men anymore than he had done already. So he kept his eyes down and his mouth shut. Spencer wasn't expecting the blindfold to be removed so suddenly, and the sudden light made his eyes hurt. He screwed them shut and remained still and silent.

……………………..

Floyd stood in the lobby of the Hospital. He was in agony. He felt like someone had stabbed him repeatedly in his back and coshed him with a bucket of bricks, but he wasn't staying here. Something had happened. Somewhere deep inside he knew something very wrong was going on with Spencer. He had no idea where he was, but he needed to warn him. Tell him to be careful. Something dreadful was heading his way. He knew – he just didn't know how he knew.

…………………..

Spencer opened his eyes a crack to see where he was. His first sight was of a line of bars – this is what he was attached to. He looked around and saw he was in a cage. A kennel. There were others joined on. The one he was in was more or less central. The others held dogs. Big drooling barking dogs. Dogs throwing themselves at the bars to get to him. He couldn't stand, as the space was too restricted. If he moved back he would be against the bars behind him and there was a rather nasty looking creature there trying to get to him. He felt dog saliva splash across his feet, and then over his face and he pulled on the restraints and screamed inside his head.

………………….

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	16. Chapter 16 Lure

Lure**

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Emily pulled the tape up and ducked under it into the front of the building. The officers looked over towards her.

"Prentiss." She said and flashed her badge. "What can you tell me happened here?"

"Who called you lot in?" The tall blonde officer started to walk towards her.

"This is part of a current investigation. So what happened?"

"Well," he started. "They came in and shot the woman over there, then beat and restrained the guy at the counter. Then he other guy they take with them."

Emily was looking around the room. "Security tapes."

"Yes m'am."

"Can I see them. Now?"

"This way m'am." He started to walk to the back of the small shop area. "Don't fancy the chances of the one they took with them." Emily gritted her teeth but said nothing.

………………….

Flanders got a cab home. He could feel his back was bleeding and seeping through the clothing he had on. He didn't care. He needed to get to his car and drive somewhere and find him. He had no idea how or where, he just knew if he stayed and did nothing the guilt would be with him forever. First though he had to get something to take the pain away he was in. He knew someone to call to get something, but was that just sliding down the slope it had taken so long to climb up from?

He paid the cabby and limped to his car. The back of his shirt sticking to the blood on his back. He was just about to get in the car when a police officer suddenly called out to him

"Excuse me sir. Where do you think you are going?"

"Out."

"That car is evidence."

"That car is mine and I am going for drive."

"I am sorry sir, but I cannot permit you to take that vehicle. There has been a homicide here. That vehicle is evidence."

Flanders could feel a rage building up inside of him. Something he rarely felt, but when he did he found it hard to control and right now he was finding it very hard.

"Listen to me you stupid son of a bitch. This is my SUV and if I want to fly it to the moon I will. You and your jumped up pathetic uniform won't stop me." He opened the car door.

Flanders heard the whisper of a gun leaving a holster. He stopped and turned to look at the cop pointing a gun at him. "You are going to shoot me for driving my own car out side my own house in my own driveway? Do you know how much I will sue your sorry arse for?"

He saw three more cops rounding the corner from the back of his house with guns raised.

"Step away from the vehicle!"

Floyd took a step back. "Fine, fine have it your own way. Get me a replacement." He pushed the car door shut again.

An un-uniformed detective with gun still raised walked over towards him. "Flanders?"

"Yes. I am Flanders. I need you to release this vehicle to me. I need to go."

"I am very sorry sir, there is evidence in the vehicle we need to check first. You will need to use another."

Flanders stared at the silly little man for a moment. "Another. You think I have a stock of cars hidden in my garage?"

The officer shrugged.

Floyd walked off in the direction of his four car garage at the side of the house. A few minutes later he was screeching away in a small red sports car.

……………….

Reid could smell the dogs breath on his face. He couldn't lean on the sides of the cage or they would attack him. He had to sit as central as the bindings holding him to the side of the cage would let him. He had to think. What should he be doing? He should be coming up with a plan, but all he could do was think about the dogs and the teeth and in his mind he could hear them ripping at his flesh. He wanted to lay down and hug himself in the way he did to help keep his body safe, but he couldn't do that. He wanted to feel the comfort of arms holding him, even if they were his own but he couldn't do that either. They knew who he was and was not expecting his future to be a happy one.

……………….

The team stood together and looked at the security tape. They saw the two men arrive and shoot the woman, and then watched them beat up on the man at the counter and restrain him. They then watched Reid walk in. They watched the blurry images of the gun being pointed at him and being restrained. They saw how he had been so easily disarmed. Emily sighed and they saw them taking his badge and look at it.

Morgan was kicking the wall and cursing as they watched him getting pistol whipped and tied up. They watched them use Reid's gun to finish off the man laying on the floor at the counter and they saw one of them pick Reid up and leave the building.

"Now what? We have no idea where they are now!"

……………….

It was raining. He could feel it. Cold on his back, small drops at first then slightly more and then a thick sheet of driving hard rain. The dogs howled and the sky got dark and Spencer knelt in his cage shivering and wet his hair hanging down over his face. This at least was a form of comfort. He could hide behind his hair and in the rain his tears wouldn't show. The two guys hadn't come back to torment him. They had just left him here like one of the animals. He thought of the half mad rabid animals he was surrounded by and wondered if this is what they had in mind for him too. Why him? It was someone else's turn to be abused and hurt and rejected. Reid rested his head on his outstretched arms and closed his eyes. Hopefully when he opened them again it would all be over.

………………….

He used the phone in the car.

"It's me. I need something in a rush – Yes I know what I said. – Yes I know. – I have the cash are you going to help me or not." A long pause as he listened. "Something for pain. – Yes I know that." Another pause. "I don't care just get me something – Yes. Thanking you." He cut off the call and carried on driving down into the city.

He drove slowly down the small side street looking out for his man. He never got out of his vehicle. He paid a lot for this pleasure, things were done his way or not at all. The guy was where he usually was. Flanders slowed down and stopped and the dealer walked over to the red car.

"Nice ride. New?"

"Not here to chat about my car. Where is my stuff?"

The dealer passed over 4 twists of something and held out his hand. Flanders slapped a wad of cash in his hand. He thought. "Count it. You should always count it." Foot on the accelerator and he was off. He pulled over into the parking lot next to a park. There were public restrooms here. He sighed and pulled a small bag out of the glove compartment. It had just started to rain when he walked into the small prefabricated building.

Flanders knew straight away something had gone wrong. His head span as his vision started to fade. Fire in his brain. He managed to unlock the door of the stall he was in and crawl out towards the door to the park. He would kill that bastard dealer. He really would.

It was raining hard in the thick darkness when Joe Reddick walked into the men's restrooms at the park and saw the man with the long dark hair laying on the floor with a nose bleed, his hands twitching slightly and drool coming from his mouth.

…………………

It was pitch black now and although the rain had mostly stopped it hadn't alleviated the cold and fear. The dogs were again throwing themselves at the bars. He was afraid to close his eye in case he fell asleep. He was afraid to keep them open because he didn't want to see what he could.

…………………

Hotch, Morgan and Prentiss sat around the table. JJ was organising press in an alert to find Reid. Garcia had the video pictures of the men who had taken Reid and was putting them through her face recognition program. It wasn't long before she joined the team at the table.

"I have their names." She said as she sat at the table with her lap top. "Benny Tenold – thirty five African American. Lived in care homes. Spent five years in juvey for petty theft and violence – he moved onto car theft, burglary and the he held up a late night store. He has also been convicted of GBH and animal cruelty. Pepe Randolph same age, started his career with peeping and GBH. Says here he is on the sex offenders register. He tried to strangle his lover, probably in some sexual fantasy. He spent five years inside at the same time as Tenold which is where they became firm friends. Tenold is definitely the brains and the more stable of the two."

…………………

When they grabbed him by his hair and cut the binders he let out an involuntary scream. He had wanted to stay silent. Now they knew. Now they were aware of his fear and they laughed. They took him barefoot through the mud and pushed him through the door of a shack next to the kennels. They sat him down on a chair next to the old log burning stove and one of them stood behind him whilst the other stood in front.

"We don't want to have to kill you." Reid looked at him with big eyes. "But you see our dilemma, we can't let you go either. My friend here wants to beat you to a pulp with his fists and feed you to the dogs, but I was wondering if you might actually be of some use to us. Financially beneficial."

"They are looking for me." He whispered in reply.

"Well this is good. Let them look. I am sure they will pay handsomely for the return of darling Dr Spencer Reid."

"They won't do that." He muttered again.

The voice from behind. "Can I smack him around then?"

The big guy in front of Reid rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "Do what you want Pepe. Get rid of it."

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	17. Chapter 17 Search

Search

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

"No wait" A rising panic, "You are right. I can give you the number you need to call." He was talking too fast and the pitch in his voice was rising. Reid's brain was trying to figure out the right things to say to at least keep him in the shack and not out in the dark.

"Why would I want to talk to someone? I have what I want right here."

"Please, you don't have to do this. I don't know where we are, you – you could t t take me somewhere. Let me g go."

Pepe looked down at Reid who was sitting twisting his hands in front of him. "Let you go? Where is the fun in that?" a big gold toothed grin.

Spencer looked up at him with big eyes. These two men were totally different. He could tell Pepe was the follower, but he couldn't work out why they hadn't killed him back at the gas station. What would Gideon be doing? What would he be saying? Why couldn't he think of the smart things to say? The only thing he could think of was they were going to kill him and he was not going to fight it. He wouldn't give them the pleasure of killing him begging.

"Get up and come with me FBI man. I gonna show you what pain feels like." He grabbed Reid's hair and pulled him to his feet and pushed him out of the door into the dark wet night.

He heard behind him Benny call out. "And make sure you get rid of it properly this time."

…………………….

Hotch's phone bleeped. He looked up at the team sitting around the table and took the call. It was from the local PD. He put it on speaker.

"Hotchner."

"I have you here as a contact if we have anything to report of a Floyd Flanders."

Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, and Garcia looked over at the cell Hotch was holding.

"Carry on."

"He is only semi conscious but babbling on about a Dr Reid and knowing where he is. Thought I should let you know."

A hand tightened on his cell phone. Morgan stood up. Prentiss sighed. Garcia stood up with Morgan and fiddled with the cuff of her shirt and JJ pulled a face.

"Where is he now?"

"I had him brought down the station." The detective gave the address and the roundtable room emptied.

Garcia put a hand on Morgan's arm. "You will find him babes. It will be alright." He turned to look into Garcia's damp eyes.

"Yeah we will find him." He put his hand on her cheek. "Keep checking out those names sweetheart. See if you can get us an address or any clues of location."

"I'm already on it." She put her hand over Derek's smiled and turned to return to her bunker.

……………………

Flanders sat at a table in another interview room in another PD in another world. All he could think of was Spence. That was all his brain would let him think about. He put his head on the table and closed his eyes. He could see him. He could see what was happening, and he was stuck here. He needed to help him. He turned his head so he was resting his forehead on the old wood and banged it gently. Then he banged it harder. Then he did it again. He needed to clear this shit from his mind. He needed to kill his dealer. He needed to find Spence and get him away from the dogs. How did he know there were dogs? He could hear them howling in the back of his mind.

A hand on his shoulder. "Flanders, don't do that." A stern voice. He continued to smack his forehead on the table.

"Flanders!" and a hand on the back of his shirt collar. "Stop that, you are bleeding! Hey some help in here!"

More hands on him now pulling him away from the table. He bent forwards and put his head in his hands.

And now a voice he recognised. "Flanders? What's going on?" and to talking to someone else "What the hell happened to his face?" It was Hotch.

Floyd turned and looked at the Federal Agent. "You have to go and get him. They are killing him! I will take you there." and he was on his feet swaying.

Morgan took his arm and pushed him down to sit again. "How do you know where he is?"

Swiping at Derek's hand. "Don't you touch me." then wiping blood out of his eyes. "You will be too late." His voice was suddenly subdued.

Hotch motioned Morgan to stand back and crouched down in front of Flanders. "What do you know?"

He looked up into Hotch's eyes. "I had a bad trip."

"I know, what has this got to do with Reid?"

"I saw him. I know where he is. The dogs."

Morgan kicked the back of Flanders' chair. "You got us wasting our time on your druggy visions? Is this what you are telling us?"

Floyd stood again, still swaying. "I saw him. I saw the dogs. I want to check it out."

Hands on both shoulders. "You can't go anywhere. You are still tripping man."

"The old west road. Going north. It's up there in the woods. Check it out. Find him Hotch. Quickly – Actually no – get me a map. I will show you."

"I want you to tell me what you know and how you know it." Hotch talking quietly to the man with the blood dripping down his face and still wearing the clothes he had on when he was pushed from the window. He smelt funny and looked deranged.

Flanders turned to look over his shoulder. "Get your hands off me, you son of a whore." He spat at Derek.

Hotch tried to engage Floyd again with a calm voice, and motioning Morgan to stand back a bit. "We will get you a map. Sit down so we can talk."

"Get – me – a – map!" and Flanders was shouting pushing Hotch back out of the way and making for the door in a very wobbly line.

"Floyd! Sit. We are getting you a map." Hotch turned to the guard on the door. "Get his man something to clean his face up with will you?" He needed a coherent answer from this man. If he knew where Reid was - if he had done anything to him, Hotch would personally tear this Flanders' head off.

"And a map." Floyd muttered as he returned to his chair. He stood and stared at Morgan. "Why did you do that to him?"

Morgan looked over at Aaron and shook his head. "Don't know what he is talking about." And it was at that point he jumped on Morgan. It didn't last long. Flanders was on front with his arm twisted up behind his back and Morgan kneeling on him before he could blink. "What the hell's got into you?" Morgan slapped Floyd across the back of his head and stood up off him. "Get up. We have the map."

…………………

Still holding onto Reid's hair he pulled him away from the kennels and towards some rough ground. There was a small row of dirt mounds and a big heap of rubbish.

Spencer looked around desperately for a way to escape. They were in the middle of nowhere. He was barefoot and his head hurt.

"Kneel." It was a command.

"No."

"I want to see you begging."

A small shake of the head.

"No."

His head was pulled forwards and downwards. "Kneel."

Reid pulled at the hand holding his hair. "Don't. I won't beg."

"You will wish you had." He let go of Spencer's hair and this was the chance he had been waiting for. He moved quickly and started to run.

One stride and he was tripping of things on the ground.

Two strides and someone had grabbed the back of his shirt.

He never got as far as the third as he felt a hand wrap around his neck, and then another and the pressure started to be applied. Reid felt the downwards push of the hands and the squeezing of the fingers as he was pushed to his knees in the mud. He could see black dots pinging across his vision and a greyness creeping in around the edges. His fingers pulling at the hands around his throat, but making no difference to he pressure Pepe was applying. He could hear the man's hard heavy breathing. Spencer could tell this was exciting him. He needed to stop resisting and it would take the pleasure away. He fingers loosened enough for Reid to take a big gasping breath and then the pressure was applied again with even more force. He noted how Pepe was not actually doing this correctly. It would take a long time to strangle him like this. His thumbs were in the wrong place. The fingers were squeezing in the incorrect position. He tried to calculate how long this would take. How long he had left.

Just as he thought he was going to lose consciousness, again the hands loosened once more. Once more the hands in the hair and this time he was being dragged backwards through the thick mud. Reid put his hands around Pepe's in an attempt to stop this hair being ripped from its scalp. The pain made Reid cry out again.

For a brief moment Reid thought he had let him go but Pepe was just getting in front of Reid to grab hold of his shirt front. "On your feet."

Reid kicked out, but his muddy bare feet didn't really make much impact on the big man who just ignored it and pulled Reid upright. "Stand up or I will rip your face off."

He stood on wobbly legs, his feet sinking into a pile of mud he had been pulled to. A hand moved again up to Reid's neck. "Stand still, and it will be over real quick."

Reid looked into the eyes of the man and gave a slight nod. Then he closed them again and waited. He felt the first blow to the side of the head, and heard an involuntary noise coming from down inside him. He knew this is what Gideon would have done. He knew Gideon wouldn't have begged and he knew Gideon would have accepted his fate. He felt the second blow this time under his chin and he felt his neck snap back a bit too fast. He was thinking 'whiplash' when the world finally went dark.

………….

Benny came out of the building to see what his partner in crime was up to. "You done over there yet Pepe?" He called.

"Just covering it over." He called back, and waved a shovel in the air for Benny to see. "Go feed the dogs. I will be done soon."

……………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	18. Chapter 18 Mud And Maps

Mud And Maps

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

The map was opened up and placed on the table. Flanders leaned over it dripping blood onto the paper. He used his forearm to roughly wipe it away. He studied it for a while and could sense the pressure from Hotch and the hostility from Morgan.

"Agent Morgan." Flanders said in a quiet voice. "Come here." Flanders' finger was tracing over marks on the map. He timed it for when Morgan was leaning forward looking at what Floyd was doing. He planted his elbow in Derek's mouth. "Touch Spence again and I will kill you. I don't care who the hell you are you dirty son of a bitch."

Morgan staggered back with his hand over his mouth. Hotch took hold of Flanders arm to stop a follow up. "What do you think he did to Reid?" Hotch asked.

"He's here." A finger was circling an area on the map ignoring Hotch's question. "An old ranger's cabin."

Hotch looked over at Morgan who was wiping at his mouth and shaking his head.

"And you know this how?" Aaron so needed this man to be telling the truth. The thought of Spencer being out there with these two men was slowly killing him.

Flanders looked over at Aaron. "I just know. I don't know how I know – but I do and I know we need to get there now."

He started to walk towards the door.

"Floyd, you can't come with us. You are still high on whatever you took, and you just assaulted a Federal Agent. You will be staying here."

"You are going to charge me for that little love tap?" Floyd spun on Derek. "You do that to Spence and nothing happens?"

Derek shook his head again, still not sure but slowly wondering if he was talking about the nightmare Reid had.

Floyd sat at the table again resting his forehead on the place he had done before. "Just go and get him. Bring him back." Slowly he started hitting his forehead on the table again. If they failed Spence he would firstly kill Morgan, and then he would kill everyone who loved Hotch. He was sliding off the chair onto the floor before Hotch, Morgan and Prentiss had left the precinct.

……………

He dreamed of Reid buried under the mud. He could feel the terror and the defeat. He could feel Spence give up and accept the end. The officers stood looking through the window at this strange man laying whimpering and crying in his drug induced sleep.

About twenty minutes later two police cars followed.

………….

They drove fast. They had no idea if Flanders could be right about this and if he was right how he was involved in it. Derek drove and Hotch sat in a quiet panic. This was entirely his fault. He should have stayed loyal to Spencer. He is to blame for all of this. If he had stayed then Flanders would have kept away.

The road took them by the garage Spencer had been abducted from and carried on up into the forest.

…………..

His fingers almost seemed to glow against the darkness of the freshly dug earth.

…………….

They drove up through the forest roads and up further and higher. Hotch looked out into the darkness and noticed how it had started to rain again. Emily started to say something but it felt hollow and stupid so she stopped and joined Hotch looking out of the window and wondering if they were going to find something. Derek was concentrating on his driving but glad they were doing something at last, even if it was a wild goose-chase. It felt good that they were doing something.

……………

A single tear ran down the side of his nose.

……………

They pulled off the larger road to a much smaller pot holed rutty track. Derek stopped to check the map again. "I think we are about half hour away." He muttered to himself. Aaron looked over at him.

"Take the road steady. No point in killing us before we get there." And to prevent Morgan from seeing the almost crazy anxiety he was feeling, he turned back to look out of the side window.

"He might not be there Hotch." Emily said softly. She saw his shoulders shudder and put a gentle knowing hand on it. "We just need to be prepared for anything."

Hotch sighed deeply. "I am ready. Believe me I am ready. Derek, carry on."

So they drove further down the old over grown rutted road.

………………

A soft sigh

………………

They fed the dogs with bits of stuff. Some of it was deer, some of it was sheep, and there were bits of bones and other things they dug up from around the place. It was raining again, but at least the dogs were quiet for a little while.

"I want to go back and look at him." Pepe started to walk off.

"Pepe, come in. Its raining and I gone done the food now. You can go look tomorrow. Plenty of time. He aint going anywhere now is he?"

Pepe looked back to the far side of the building and over into the woods. "Y'as right. I will go look tomorrow. I wanna take some pics you know."

"I figured as much. You cant do that so well in the dark. Leave him to rot. Take your pics in the morning. Get in now."

He took a last look over to where he had dragged Reid and then followed Benny back into their makeshift home.

…………..

He could feel rain falling now on the side of his face. He blinked.

…………..

"Sexual sadists do not necessarily rape their victims." Emily suddenly said. "I don't think that Reid – I think that Pepe Randolph, I am sure it says he is impotent."

"It also said he tried to kill his lover to get sexual gratification." Morgan snapped back.

Emily looked down at her fingernails. "It said he was heavily into pornography. Not rape." She said quietly.

"We are all thinking the same." Morgan said as he put his foot down harder on the gas. "I Flanders has been messing us around, so help me god."

Aaron turned to look at Morgan. "I don't think it is his intention to manipulate us in that way. He is trying to help. We might not like it, but that man does have good intentions towards Spencer."

…………..

Red eyes and a mouth too big with too many sharp teeth smiled over at the shallow pit Reid was laying in. At last. Finally.

…………..

Pepe and Benny had mushroom soup and bread they had lifted from the store earlier. Benny laid back on the dirty old cot they shared and looked at Reid's gun. "You should really have got rid of his personal stuff too. Make sure you do it in the morning when you cover up properly." He looked over at Pepe who was sitting bunched up looking down at the floor. "And you stop doing that you pervert. Go look at your comics."

………….

They could see the faint glow of light coming from the old shack. Hotch, Morgan and Prentiss got out of the SUV and looked around. They each pulled on a flak jacket. This was bringing back bad memories. Would they be as lucky again? "We need them alive." Hotch said and slowly they approached the shack. It was raining heavier now and the dogs started to bark again. Prentiss looked over to where they were and shuddered.

The door smashed in easily and Morgan rushed in shouting FBI. The two men looked surprised. One of them holding a gun the wrong way around in his hand threw it to the floor. The other one who was looking at a magazine of some kind just sat and giggled.

Benny didn't resist. "He did it. I wasn't even there." He said and smirked.

Pepe just giggled as he was cuffed. Morgan looked quickly around the room. The sight of Reid's shoes thrown over in a corner made his stomach churn. "Hotch." A quiet voice.

"I saw." Was the reply.

Derek went over to Pepe who was still giggling. "Where is he?"

The thunder and lightning made the whole place shake and light up and the torrential rain thundered on the roof.

Prentiss shook her head. "There is just this room. He's not here." She looked out to where the dogs were howling, and quickly left the building again at a jog.

………..

The water was running in rivulets down the side of the ditch he had been thrown in. He watched the rising water with a dead empty eye_. Why was this all taking so long to end?_ The water reached his nose. Soon. Very soon.

………….

"Reid!" Emily called, but her voice was ripped away and taken by the wind. Her torch was shining over the kennels. She could see on the bars of an empty one a pair of plasticuffs. He had been here. Where was he now?

…………...

"Where is he Pepe?" Hotch had the man against the wall holding him by the front of his shirt. Pepe's hands restrained behind his back.

"Ya's all too late. I buried him out back with the rest of the rubbish." And a mad little giggle.

Benny who was cuffed to the stove just looked down and said nothing. Emily came running back in just as they were preparing to get Pepe to show them where Reid was. "Now!" Morgan was shouting. Emily could see the white face of Aaron Hotchner looking over at Reid's shoes again. "Mr Randolph is going to show us where Reid is." The four of them left the shack again and walked out into the driving rain, thunder and lightning.

………….

The fingers which seemed to glow moved slightly, and then twitched and then stopped.

………….

Pepe took them around the side of the building and over to a small row of mounds. He pointed a bit further off into the dark. "He's down there."

Hotch walked in the direction he was being pointed. Thank god he hadn't indicated one of the mounds. He shone his torch and saw a ditch in front of him. He started to walk around it. Shining the torch into the woods. Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention. He looked down and at first couldn't make out what it was he was looking at. The ditch was shallow and partially waterlogged but he could see something there in the mud. A hand and long slender fingers laying on the mud. The rest of the arm buried under it.

"Morgan!" Aaron shouted and reached down for the hand.

Morgan's torch caught some hair and the side of a face. It was bloodied and mud splattered and half buried in the mud and water. "Oh god." Derek wasn't sure if he had said the words or if he had just thought them. He bent down and ran a hand under the head and with a squelching slurping noise pulled it out of the mud.

Emily stood with her gun pointed at Pepe. He was giggling. She flipped open her phone and called for medics.

Morgan and Hotch dug with their hands until they were able to get hold of Reid and pull him out of the old ditch. He wasn't breathing. The water had been above his nose, but it must have recently happened. He was still almost warm. Rolling him over onto his back they looked down at the battered from. Hotch leaned over and applied CPR to the man he loved more than anything. The man he would willingly die for.

"Come on Spence, breathe for us." Hotch said with tears escaping from the backs of his eyes. In this rain though he could hide them. He wouldn't have show the emotions he was feeling. Morgan crouched in the mud next to him and took a hand.

"Hey kid, breathe." And he squeezed gently, not afraid to show his distress and the tears plopped off the end of his nose and mixed with the rain.

Emily stood with Pepe and whispered "My god Reid, what did they do to you?"

As the lightning ripped across the sky again and the thunder crashed, and as more cop cars arrived, Spencer let out and strange wailing scream. Hotchner carefully rolled the now panicking flailing Spencer on to his side and stoked his hair. "It's me Spence – it's Aaron." He sat down in the mud and pulled Spencer closer – wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "It's OK." And he ran fingers slowly over the battered face.

…………..

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	19. Chapter 19 Listening And Waiting

Listening And Waiting

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

_Daja once said: When the time is right, I will be back._

He lay on the hospital bed with a drip in his arm and sigh on his breath. The police would want to talk to him, but right now Agent Reid was not talking to anyone. He couldn't sleep and he couldn't stay awake. He was trapped somewhere in between where his nightmares felt all the more real. The difference this time was they were not images his mind conjured up from no where, these were memories of things he could still feel. Granted he hadn't actually felt Pepe jumping on his rib cage and he hadn't heard them crack, he also hadn't felt his shoulder dislocate or his lip splitting. He hadn't felt it at the time, but he could feel it now. He had a neck brace. Yes he had felt his neck snap back unhealthily but it seemed as he thought to be a bad case of whiplash. He had bruises on his neck, on his arms and wrists, a lump on the side of his head and again on the back. His feet were cut as were his knees, but nothing that won't heal. All of this he would heal from. Everything except the feeling of the mud being shovelled onto him. Being unable to move, laying waiting to die his face only half covered so that Pepe could return and view his victim. This is what Gideon would have done though. He was sure of it. At least he didn't beg.

…………………

Hotch stood next to the bed and looked down at Reid. He knew he was awake, he just wasn't responding to anyone. His eyes stared off looking at nothing, his chest bandaged to help his cuts and abrasions was rising and falling steadily. He heard movement behind him and saw Derek standing there with a comic in his hand.

"Thought he might want some light reading when he's up to it." Morgan moved over and put the X-Man comic on the small table over the bed. "When you're ready genius." And Hotch looked as Derek placed a hand over the top of Spencer's and ran a finger over the bandages on his writs.

More movement behind and Aaron turned to see a very tired bedraggled looking Flanders. He still hadn't changed his clothes. His face and smears of blood across it as did the backs of his hands. He had an open wound on his forehead which was now crusting over. He stood and looked at Hotch and then at Derek and then at Derek's hand. Flanders stomach churned over at the sight of it, but he was quickly distracted by Hotch.

"I think you should leave." Hotch was walking towards him.

Flanders shook his head. "Er no. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving him here with you two."

Hotch took Floyd by the arm and guided him out of the room Reid was in. "You need to go and get cleaned up. Get your forehead seen to, and I need to talk to you about how you knew were to find Reid. I know you are involved somehow. I just can't work out how or why."

Floyd moved close to Aaron and whispered in his ear. "I planned it all. I paid those blokes to grab Spence and batter him and bury him alive. Shame they failed. I will have to try again." He paused as Hotch took a step back. "Was that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy you have someone to blame for your own failings? Are you satisfied that you messed with his emotions so much he tried to run from them? Does this make you happy? Does it please you to let Morgan touch him after what he did to him? What makes you tick Aaron – I can't figure you out. You want Spence, yet you want your wife? You can't have both." Hotch was looking over at Derek now who was brushing Reid's hair off his face. "Why do you let him do that?"

Hotch looked between the two men again. "What is your problem with my agent? What is this thing you think he has done?"

Flanders walked over to Derek and stared down at the dark hand on the pale skin. "Hands off, Morgan. Next time I will rip your face off."

"Gentlemen." The sudden voice from the door made them all turn around. The doctor was standing there looking at the three men who were glaring at each other. "I need to talk to the family members only. You shouldn't even be here is you aren't."

Hotch nodded. "We are his family." He looked over at Flanders.

"I am staying. I am as much family as you are."

Morgan went to put his hand on Flanders, who moved back out of his reach. "Flanders, you are not like family. You are a junky and a stalker. You need to leave."

"We are judging our positions by how much we have abused Spencer? You who rape and hurt, and you Aaron who gives him the signals, then discard him to go back to you wife? All I have done is admire from afar. Tell me who has hurt him the most. I tried to love and protect him. I haven't seen you two do a whole lot of that."

Hotch and Morgan grabbed an arm each and started to escort Flanders from the room. "You need to leave." Hotch was trying to stay calm, but this situation was bothering him. He needed to get this sorted and find out what the doctor had to say and then start to get Spencer talking to them again.

……………..

He felt the warm hand cover his, and he felt the fingers moving over the bandages. He could smell it was Morgan. His friend and his partner, the man he had trusted and now – and now? And now he didn't know. Everything was so confusing. He felt the mud falling on him. He heard the shovelling of the wet earth and he felt it cover his feet. He stayed silent. He knew to stay alive he needed to remain silent. He needed this man to think he was already dead. This way he could lay in this water logged ditch and die slowly. With honour. Knowing he didn't beg. Like Gideon would have done. So he needed to lay still and be quiet.

He could hear Aaron. He could hear sharp angry voices. He could smell dirt and blood and fear and distrust. He could smell Flanders. He could smell the heavy musky smell of his skin.

Spencer wanted to call out to him, but he couldn't, he could just lay and look at the water running down the sides on the hole he was in, and wait for it to reach his nose again.

The voices faded and now hands on him. Rolling him over onto his side - looking at damage. A small whimpering sound escaped from the back of his throat where it had been sitting waiting for its chance to escape. Calming voices "It's OK Dr Reid, we just need to make sure."

Cold hands and cold metal and now a scream from deep down inside of him. A scream of pain deep emotional anguish.

………….

The three of them stood outside the main doors of the hospital in the emergency ambulance bay. "What's going on Flanders?" Aaron was asking.

"Why always me?"

"You are the unknown. We don't know you."

"I am guilty of something because you don't know me? Have you done a profile? Have you really tried to work me out? Or are you boxing me in with your other jealousies."

Derek's hand was resting comfortably next to his gun. It really wouldn't take much for him to pull it and have Flanders back in cuffs.

"I know you are a loner. I know you like to deal with people one at a time and not in groups. I know you are very intelligent, that you speak multiple languages. I know you have no family, and I know that you very wealthy. I don't know why you have your mind so fixed on Reid. I don't know what it is you have against my agent here, unless it is a race issue, and I am beginning to think it is. I know you spend a lot of money of alcohol and trinkets but you are right, Flanders, I don't know you. Apart from you are obviously well educated, come from money, and have an un-natural interest in my agent."

Derek joined in now.

"You are also a junky. You have been in rehab for heroin addiction and you are a know cocaine addict. You drink to much, and lost your licence for a short while for DUA. What other substances you put into your body we don't know, but I strongly advise you don't snort from your present dealer. That stuff was poison. I hope you didn't pay too much for it." He was smirking and this is what finally tipped the balance between wanting to rip Morgan's face off and actually attempting it.

As Mogan stepped forward Flanders spun and cracked him around the side of the face with a fist. Then followed it through with an upper cut to his jaw. Morgan made an 'umph' sound and flew a fist back again. Hands around throats and knees in solar plexus' and the men were on the floor. Morgan on top astride Flanders fist to face. Flanders' responding with a fist back in Morgan's mouth. Then rolling and Flanders on top Shouting and hitting.

"You bastard son of a bitch. How – Could – You – Do – That – To – Him?" with each word a new fist and to Morgan's surprise, and he will tell himself later this is why Flanders managed to over power him – he saw tears trickle down the side of Floyd's nose.

A small click. "Get off him Flanders or I will pull the trigger." Aaron's voice now, and as Floyd looked to the side to see the gun pointed at him Morgan hit him under the jaw and he fell quietly to the ambulance bay floor.

There was a small amount of cheering, and a few boo's, and lot' of 'ooohs' and 'aarrhhs' as Morgan stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothing. Someone clapped and yet someone else took some photos via his cell.

They didn't notice the small man in dark clothes slip by them and press the button for the elevator.

They didn't notice him get off at Reid's floor and walk silently to his room where he was laying alone with tears running down his face.

No one saw him run his fingers gently over the sore bruised skin.

No one saw him whisper into Reid's ear.

And no one heard the whimper of fear.

…………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	20. Chapter 20 Dark Places

Dark Places

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine: Flanders is.

It was too hot. The cooling systems weren't working correctly and he sat sweating reading a book and occasionally looking out of the window at the dry Texan country side. He had decided to take the train this time. It was a long trip and he fancied reading up on some of the things he was missing out on being the driver all the time.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and wished he had caught the later train, then at least he would have been doing this part of the journey out of the mid day sun. He was tired. He was more relaxed than he had been in years but the past months were still with him. He put in a book mark and closed his book. He decided he would try to have a small sleep. At least rest his eyes.

Jason had just put his head back and closed his eyes when the train slammed to a stop. Some inbuilt radar told him something bad had happened. He looked out of the windows and saw small bushes and sand. He stood up and looked down the aisle of the carriage and tried to work out which way to go to see what was going on. He left his book – he would be back for it – and walked towards to middle carriage.

He opened the door and saw that something was wrong immediately. The carriage was empty – all except for someone laying backwards across the seats, his legs in the aisle. It was like he had been sitting side on and had fallen backwards. Dark trousers. Brown shoes. On the floor in front of him was what looked to be a flak jacket. Gideon walked slowly forwards. He looked over the back of the seat to see what was there. A young man. Wavy brown hair. He had on light coloured striped shirt with a brown tie and white disposable gloves. On the seat next to him was a discarded sim card a scalpel and a dollar coin. The man had been shot in the chest once and in the face. He stood and looked at the scene and flipped open his phone. Stepping back quickly.

………………..

He went back to his empty house. He had been given options. The cells at the local PD or go home. He was brought home in a black and white and escorted to his door. He was told not to leave town they still had things to ask. Things to talk about – he wasn't happy about it. He just wanted Reid – was that so much to ask?

He stood in the foyer of his over large house and looked at the pile of broken picture frames pushed over against the wall. He should sort it out and see how much money he had potentially lost, but he really didn't care anymore. Walking past the stairs and around the dark corner he entered the kitchen. He walked over to the coffee machine and looked blankly at it. It wasn't coffee he wanted.

Flanders left the kitchen at a virtual run. He took the stairs two at a time and went into his bed room. The window was fixed and the room had been almost tidied up. He pulled fresh clothes out of the walk in dressing room. Black cords and a black shirt. He pulled on a pair of black cowboy boots, and snatched up another pair of glasses. Then picked up a bottle of whiskey and left the room to go up another flight of stairs to the top of the house. He walked down an L shaped corridor. There was a door to his right and one straight ahead. It was this one he went towards. He picked out a key from a collection on top of the door frame and unlocked the door. He was in a big oblong room. There were double door going out to a balcony. A big leather chair against a wall, and wall lamps. He turned on a lamp next to his chair and flopped down. He opened his bottle and took a long swig back. If he was going to get plastered and killed by some demonic creature and chucked out of the window this is where he wanted to be. Up here in his secret room surrounded by his pictures of Spence.

………………..

Aaron sat on a chair next to Spence. He held his hand and talked softly to him. There still had been no real response to any stimuli. They told Hotch that Reid was awake. He was definitely conscious, he was just not responsive. Shock. PTSD – he had been through an horrific ordeal, they can't expect him to just bounce back. He talked to Reid of anything he could think of. He read to him from books, he picked up the X-man comic and read that too. But got nothing back.

……………….

He could feel the wet earth covering his limbs. He could feel the coldness and wet seeping through to his skin. He wiggled his fingers to try to keep them warm. He tried to wiggle his toes too but they were too cold and too painful so he let them lay in the wet. Reid could feel the way Pepe had jumped down into the ditch and jumped up and down to compact the earth down hard. He could feel his body sinking into its final resting place. Then fingers on his face and a voice. 'Pretty boy – such a pretty boy – I will come back to see you again later." And he could hear the heavy breathing as he tried to close his mind down and just look at the water running down the side.

A smell. He could smell Hotch. That safe comfortable smell. The one he could snuggle with and all those silly problems just drifted away. He turned his empty eyes in the direction the smell of security was coming from.

"Aaron." His voice hardly above a whisper.

Hotch moved slowly but gripped Reid's hand a bit tighter. "I'm here Spencer."

"Hotch?"

"You are safe Spencer. I am here now."

"He was here Hotch. He was here." and a single tear.

"Who was?" He was thinking of either Morgan or Flanders. The reply was not what he expected.

"Daja."

Hotch let go of Reid's hand quickly and looked down at the white face with the bruises. "What do you mean Daja?"

"It wasn't Derek. Tell Flanders it wasn't Derek. It was Daja." Aaron could see Reid was shaking. "I thought it was Morgan. I really did at first, but it wasn't. Hotch – Floyd is in danger. You have to protect him too."

Aaron was pacing the small hospital room. "Reid what has a creature from a nightmare have to do with what just happened to you, and what does it have to do with Flanders?"

"Please Aaron. Send someone to Floyd. They will kill him." Reid started to get out of bed, wincing in pain.

Hotch moved over to him. "You can't go anywhere yet. Tell me what you need; I will see if I can do it for you."

"I need a phone. Quickly Hotch – please. Give me your cell."

Aaron shook his head and started to walk towards the door.

"No!" Reid shouted in panic. "Don't leave me, please don't leave me alone."

"I need to get you a phone Spencer. I won't be far." But he turned to see the terrified look on Reid's face.

"OK use my cell. You're not meant to."

"I know. I remember Des Plaines."

He flipped open the phone and punching in a familiar number.

…………………..

Flanders was having another of his drunken nightmares. Someone was tormenting him. Talking in voices he didn't understand. Telling him things he didn't want to know. Reminding him of things he didn't want to be reminded of. The man stood and talked to Floyd.

"You are one of us. This is temporary – you are not doing your job. You are meant to be with him by now. You need him back here with you."

Flanders muttered something about Hotch being in the way and he would try harder.

"You are weak. You are grounded until you sort this mess out."

"I can't do it. I don't want to do it."

"You have no choice. You will do as you are told."

A slow nod.

"You understand."

A slow nod. "I understand, but it doesn't mean I will do it."

A sudden loud bleeping pulled Flanders out of his dream as he reached over for his cell phone.

"_Flanders collector or the fine and unusual. How can I help?"_

"_It's me. It's Spence."_ Flanders opened his eyes and looked around the room and shuddered.

"_Spence? You are awake. I thought we had lost you."_ He smiled.

"_Daja is back."_

…………………..

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	21. Chapter 21 Gideon

Gideon

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

_I wept in my dreams.  
I dreamed you lay in the grave;  
I awoke, and the tears  
still poured down my cheeks_

_Heinrich Heine_

Flanders got up from his chair. He was feeling the effects of the alcohol but the pain he was feeling had subsided a bit. He stood in the shadowy room and looked at the walls covered in pictures of Spencer. They went right back to when he was fairly new at the BAU. He looked so young and innocent. With shaking hands he ran a finger over the face of the man he had been stalking for so long. Getting to know him from afar. Taking his orders from his drugged and drunk nightmares.

He pulled the picture off the wall and looked at it closely then slowly ripped it down the middle. "I won't do it. I can't do it." Methodically with shaking hands and a foggy painful head he slowly removed each picture. Hundreds of bits of ripped photographs fell to the floor scattering like confetti at his feet. "I let you do this to him. I don't want to be a part of your plan anymore."

Floyd opened a small door opposite the doors to his balcony and entered what looked to be a small lab. There were cameras hanging on the walls and photographic equipment set up. He took each one carefully in his hands and looked them over and then smashed them to the floor. "No more. I have done enough. You need to let me go. I have played my part in your sick game." He leaned against the far wall in the reddish glow of his dark room and slid slowly to the floor. "I am sorry Spence."

…………………………

Gideon tried Spencer's cell. Straight to answer-phone. "Don't panic. You know that's not him." He muttered to himself and redialled, this time Hotch's number. Again straight to answer-phone. "What the hell is going on?" He stood and looked at the train and then back at his phone. Vaguely he saw a local detective approaching.

"You are the guy who found the body?"

He looked up at the man with a frown. "Yes, yes I am."

"Did you say your name was Jason Gideon?" he man was holding an envelope.

"I did. Is there something wrong? Apart from the obvious?"

The man handed over the envelope. "This was found in the victim's pocket. It has your name on it. We have opened it. Can you tell us what the message means to you?"

Jason took the torn open envelope and looked at the hand writing. Careful printed writing. He took the bit of paper out and looked at it.

'_Jason, __One must have a thorough understanding of one's dreams if one is not to be troubled by them: Proust'_

He opened his phone once more with shaking hands and made one more call

"Oracle of all knowledge, speak.

……………………..

"Please Aaron you have to bring Floyd back here. We need to stay together." Reid was laying back down again pain ripping through his body. "Please."

Hotch stood next to the bed and watched looked down at the face so full of fear and pain. "I will contact him. Make sure he is alright. If there seems to be a problem I will send someone over. You need to rest Spencer."

Aaron held Spencer's pale hand and watched the eyes slowly flutter closed again. He didn't want to leave him. He didn't want to let go of this fragile hand, but slowly he placed it on the covers next to Reid and quietly he walked to the door way. Two armed uniforms stood outside. He left the room and spoke quietly to them. It was orders they already had. "Let nobody in, don't let Reid out." And he walked quickly to find a telephone at the receptionist desk just around the corner.

……………………..

Back in the hole. Back in the dark. This was different. For a little while someone had his hand to stop himself sinking forever into the wet earth. He made soft moaning sounds as he felt the earth being shovelled over his motionless body. He wanted to scream but Jason wouldn't have done that. He wanted to beg, but Jason wouldn't beg. As he felt the cold wetness sucking his head into the thick mud and as he felt the feet stamping down on him and as he felt ribs cracking and water seeping up his nose he heard a voice. _'I am sorry Spence.'_

……………………

The black and white pulled up into the drive of the Flanders home. The windows where dark and it looked cold and empty. The two officers got out of the car and walked to the impressive double front entrance doors. They were closed but swung open with a eerie silence. The two uniforms looked at each other and took a step over the threshold.

Something in the shadows watched.

"Flanders?" The taller of the officers called out. There was no echo. The sound just seemed to get sucked away into the recesses of the big old house. "Flanders – Agent Hotchner has asked us to come and check up on you. Are you here?"

The two men started to walk further into the foyer of the house. There was a door directly to the right. They stepped quickly to the door and pushed it open. It was devoid of anything. The walls bare plaster. No light fittings and nothing covering the floor. It was as though the room had never been used. They pulled back and shone torches up the stairs and called out to Floyd again. Still getting no reply. Ahead of them was an opening leading out to a dark corridor and towards two sets of double doors. The officers pointed the flashlights down the corridor and then towards one of the sets of doors which was slightly open. They nodded to each other and walked towards it. The room was vast. It had display cabinets all along the walls and in small islands in the middle of the room. The chair Flanders and been tied to was against the wall. They walked in slowly looking at the strange objects on display.

…………………..

"Garcia. It's Gideon. I need your help."

Garcia sat up straight and put her glasses back on again. "Sir! How are you?"

"Pen there has been a murder on a train in Texas."

Garcia stopped him mid flow. "And it was staged to look like Reid?"

White knuckles on the phone. "There have been more? Is Reid alright?"

"Sir, I think it would be a really good time for you to pay him a visit. He is in hospital, but don't worry, just bruises." She gave him the address and phone number of the hospital.

……………………

He sat in the room right at the top of the house and listened as someone called out his name. They were in his house he could tell. He could almost smell the intrusion. He wanted to call out and tell them to go away and to leave him alone, but he sat in the dark room against the wall and muttered over and over again. "I don't want this anymore. I don't want to do this. I can't do this."

He could hear the screams. Long drawn out wails of fear. Then silence.

Floyd stood up and ran shaking fingers through his hair. "You can't make me do this."

"We had a deal." A sharp hissing dirty voice coming from the shadows.

"No, you forced me into this. I didn't ever want to do this."

"You made a deal."

"I take it back. I don't want this." He indicated the room. "I don't want this life."

"You can't take it back, stupid, you are mine. You are mine until I decide to release you. That won't happen until I have what I want."

Flanders moved to the table in the middle of the room. It was covered in more photographs of Spencer. He ran his fingers slowly over the young looking face. "Why can't you do your own dirty work?"

"Do you think I haven't tried? No; I need you, I need to see the pain of realising the betrayal on his face."

"I can't do it."

The voice now in Floyd's ear. "Have you forgotten what you were before I rescued you? Have you forgotten all I have done for you?"

A slow shake of the head.

"Then go to him now, whilst you still can and finish what you have started. The boy is asking for you. Go and protect him Floyd. Go and finish this."

………………………….

Reid looked up in his dream and the face of Pepe changed. It slowly altered and warped until it was Flanders standing in the grave with him. He was crying and talking to him in a whispered sad voice. 'I am so sorry Spence.'

…………………………

_I wept in my dreams,  
I dreamed you were still kind to me;  
I awoke, and still  
the flow of my tears streams on._

_Heinrich Heine_

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	22. Chapter 22 Escape Plan B

Escape Plan B

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds isn't mine.

_I wept in my dreams,  
I dreamed you were still kind to me;  
I awoke, and still  
the flow of my tears streams on._

_Heinrich Heine_

He stood in the ambulance bay looking up at the windows. Somewhere up there was Spence. Spence and Aaron. Together, where he should be. He couldn't sense Morgan around. He sniffed the night air and walked forwards towards the double doors. They slid open in front of him as he walked reluctantly to the elevators. He stood looking at them for a minute then pressed the button and stood waiting. If the lift failed and Daja killed him then it would be the end of his problems – for now – until next time.

The doors pinged open and a woman with a small boy got out. He nodded to them and got in the car. He stood looking at his shaking hand and dirt encrusted fingernails and pressed the button for the floor he needed.

He stood facing the wall and rested his forehead, gently and not so gently smacking it against the metal of the elevator car.

……………

Reid sat up in the hospital bed awaiting yet another report from the doctors. He was flicking through the comic Derek had left for probably the tenth time and still hadn't actually looked down at it. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the wall. Somewhere in the background he could hear Aaron was talking to him.

"Gideon is on his way. He contacted us. Asking how you are and so well he is on his way."

Reid slid his eyes over to look at Hotch. "I don't want to see him." To the point. His eyes drifted back to the same place on the wall.

Hotch stood up and walked to the side of Reid's bed. "I think it would be good to talk to someone other than Morgan and I."

"I don't want to talk to anyone. I am dealing with it."

Aaron took the comic from Reid's trembling fingers. "Ignoring it isn't dealing with it."

Spencer flopped back onto his pillows and pulled the bedclothes up tighter around him self. "I am not ignoring it Hotch. I am dealing with it internally."

"I need to talk to you both." A voice from the door way caused Reid and Hotch to look. Flanders stood there, the cut on his forehead bleeding again and a nurse standing behind him making a fuss.

"You can't go in there." She was moaning.

"I'll do as I bloody well please. Don't touch me. I don't want to be touched by a hospital floozy."

He left the nurse standing there and walked into the room closing the door behind him.

"Floyd, you are bleeding. What happened?" Reid looked concerned.

Hotch pulled out a bunch of tissues and passed them to Flanders. "It's self inflicted Reid. Don't worry."

"As I said we need to talk."

"About?" Hotch was standing with his back to the window.

"Spence – you – me." He sat on a chair next to Reid and looked into his big sad eyes. "I had nothing to do with what happened. You believe me don't you?"

Reid nodded and fiddled with the bed clothes. "I know."

"I wouldn't hurt you." Flanders looked down at the floor unable to keep his eyes on Spencer's face.

"I didn't think you would." He put a hand out for Floyd to hold but Flanders kept his hands on his knees.

Aaron moved to the chair the other side of Reid. "Why did you come back here to tell us this?"

"I didn't. Not really. It's so complex I don't know where to begin. I just need you to know – both of you. I won't hurt you."

"Floyd what are you talking about?"

Flanders sighed. "I was down on my luck so to speak. I needed money for my next hit. Living in the gutter – renting myself out for money or drugs. Then someone came and offered me a way out. You need to understand at the time I was flying. I didn't know what I agreed to."

Reid and Hotch made matching frowns. "Keep going." Hotch muttered. He put a hand over Reid's for his own comfort as much as Spencer's.

"It was a long time ago. I had never met you. I didn't know you. I had no idea this would happen but I can't go back on it. I made a deal."

"Who – who did you make a deal with Floyd? To d d do what?"

"With Daja." Flanders stood up and walked over to the window and stuffed his hands deep into his big long coat. "If I had known at the time – if I had known what he was going to ask me to do – but I won't hurt you." He pressed his palms against the glass and could feel the pull from below. He was there waiting. He was not going to let them leave. Best get it over with. At least his way was painless. He pushed his hands back into his deep pockets and wrapped his hand around something. Walking slowly he moved to be behind Aaron.

"I really fell for you Spence. All the photographs I took, all the hours standing around so I could follow you, it was all a pleasure. It stopped feeling like something I was being told to do, and it became a hobby."

Flanders stabbed the auto injector into the side of Aaron's neck. It was quick and it was painless. Hotch jumped slightly then slid back onto the chair. His hand suddenly going limp in Reid's.

Spencer tried to shout out to alert someone, to get some help but all he managed was a small squeak before Flanders was at his side with another injector in his hand. "It doesn't hurt. I promise you. I would never hurt you. It will just make you sleep."

Reid's hand was going for the emergency button as Floyd took hold of it and put the pale hand gently to his mouth. "Don't struggle Spence. Just let me do this."

………………..

Reid saw Hotch suddenly slump, and he felt the hand fall away from his. His stomach twisted in tight knots as he opened his mouth to call for help and his hand groped around for the emergency call button. Floyd put his hard calloused hand over his and held tightly with one hand. He felt a slight sting in the side of his neck as the room suddenly span and went black. Then silence.

………………

Daja stood in the corridor and smiled as he watched Flanders carry Reid out of the room and towards the fire exit doors. The whole floor of the hospital seemed devoid of staff. The two armed guards were slumped with broken necks in the corner. He carefully carried Reid through the doors and up the stairs. It was an arduous task. Reid didn't weigh as much as a man his height should, but he still felt heavy after the fifth floor. He sat on the landing with Spencer laying across his lap. He didn't want to do this. He couldn't do this. He quickly pushed Reid off his lap and onto the landing and opened the door out onto the ward corridor. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for and was soon back pushing a wheel chair.

A voice hissing next to him "What are you doing?"

"Go away Daja, I am retracting the deal. I don't want to do it." He put his hand out and pushed the small dark clothed man out of the way.

"Take him now. Have him now. He is warm. Take him. He won't know. He didn't know when I had him. Sweet boy." Daja ran a finger over Spencer's sleeping face.

"Leave us Daja. Put me back in the gutter. I was alright there. I was coping."

"Throw him off the roof!" Daja was rubbing his hands together. "For me. Then I will let you go and you can go back to the hell I found you in if that is what you want."

Flanders pushed the chair out onto the ward and towards the elevators. A nurse started to walk his way. There was still blood encrusted on his forehead, and he was sweating and breathing in quick panicky breaths. "He fainted." He said to the nurse and hurried to the doors and pressed the button.

Reid was vaguely aware that Floyd was carrying him somewhere. He felt him put him down then lift him again and sit him in a chair. He could hear him talking to someone. Someone from his nightmares. He heard the ping of the elevator and felt the forwards movement of the chair. He tried to move. He tried to alert someone, but he just sat with his head tipped back and his eyes shut. Waiting for the end and thinking.

'_He said he wouldn't hurt me.'_

………………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	23. Chapter 23 Potentially Fatal

Potentially Fatal

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

_William Kammeraad-Campbell__ once said: __A level of despair is reached, where people are willing to die to punish their tormentors._

Reid heard the elevator doors whoosh shut and felt a hand taking his. "Spence, I know you can hear me. It's all going to be alright. I promise. I wont let Daja take you – have you – kill you." He felt the hand squeezing his and he tried again to move his head or blink or anything, but all he managed was a slight movement of the lips. Flanders must have seen as he ran a finger over Reid's mouth. "I know you must be afraid. I could do anything to you now. Anything I wish, but I want you to trust me Spence. I said I wouldn't hurt you. I mean it. I couldn't hurt something as precious as you."

A small sound. A breath slightly harder than the others, but nothing else.

He tried to scream. He put all his effort into it, he could feel the sweat breaking out on his brow in the effort, but nothing. He felt the elevator slow and he heard the ping of the door opening and the sound of busy people moving around the reception, and he heard a familiar voice. Not far away. _'Look my way, please I am over here.'_

………………….

"I am looking for Dr Reid. He is here as a patient."

"Your name sir?"

"Gideon – Jason Gideon."

…………………

The voice faded as the chair was pushed away and towards the main doors. _'Someone help me please.'_

The sudden rush of air made his fingers twitch and his toes curl. He was still just wearing his hospital robes. Flanders pushed the chair towards the car parking area talking to Reid the whole time. "It's ok. I know you are afraid, but there is no need to be. It will all be over soon. I am going to sort it with Daja." A beep beep sound meant Floyd had unlocked the door of the silver SUV and now Spencer could feel gentle hands. Gentle hands which were going to destroy him. Gentle hands lifting him into the front passenger position. He felt the restraint going around him and heard the click of the harness being secured.

Flanders folded the chair he had purloined and put it in the trunk. He wasn't sure how long this drug would work for. After wrapping a blanket around Reid he started up the car and left the hospital grounds heading for home.

………………

Gideon got permission to go and visit Reid. His name had been added to the list. He got in the elevator and pressed the correct button. When he stepped out at the right floor he noticed that all hell had broken loose. He just failed to realise how literal that thought was. The dead guards had been found, and Aaron had been discovered obviously drugged and out for the count on a chair in Reid's room. Dr Reid however had gone. They were attempting to bring Hotch around and taking blood tests and looking in his mouth to try to ascertain what it was had been used. His pupils were responsive and they were sure he could hear, but he couldn't move.

Jason sat next to him and held his hand "I got here as soon as I cool Aaron. I am sorry. I need to find Reid. I will call Haley." Still nothing but somehow Gideon saw a look of terror cross Aaron's face. "No Haley then, I will go and find Spencer. You are in good hands."

He wanted to stay with Hotch to make sure his old friend he had left in the lurch was going to be alright, but nursing staff were gently guiding him away from Hotch anyway "He will be fine. The drug will soon wear off." He knew they couldn't say that. How would they know if they had no idea what it was that was used. He had an idea though, and the thought scared him. No one seemed to have seen anything, but the sight of Morgan and Prentiss running down the corridor was comforting. At least he would get access to information now.

…………….

By the time the SUV pulled up outside his house Spencer was able to wiggle his fingers again and his eyes were just about open. His mind though was clouded in a fog. Flanders noted that the black and white which had been there earlier was now gone. Daja must have got rid of it. He got out of the vehicle got the chair out of the trunk then moved to the passenger side and opened the door next to Spencer.

"Hey, we are here now. How's it going? Getting any movement back yet?" a quick blink was his reply. "Good." Again the need to scream for help as he felt Floyd's finger pushing his hair off his face. "You are quite beautiful you know." He smiled at Spencer and after releasing the safety belt lifted him out and placed him carefully in the chair. "Trust me." He said again and secured Reid into the chair.

With his head still tipped back and his eyes hardly open all Spencer could see was the night sky. A small tear of frustration ran down his cheek un-noticed. He was taken though the front entrance of the house. It was almost pitch dark. Spencer wanted to ask Floyd to put a light on. Anything so he didn't have to sit there looking up at the endless shadows on the ceiling. They went past the stairs and into an even darker hallway beyond where they made a left and kept walking into impossible darkness. He tried to call out to Floyd to ask him to stop. No this isn't what Gideon would have done. This would never have happened to him in the first place but he managed a soft moaning sound from the back of his throat. A sound Floyd heard and reacted to.

"Spence it's OK. You are with me now. I will protect you. I promise I won't hurt you. It will all be over soon." Then the chair was being moved again. Reid tried to wiggle his toes and fingers. He tried to lick his lips and bite on his bottom lip. He needed so desperately to wrap his arms around himself in his protective shielding way he had but his hand lay unmoving and limp by his sides.

Reid could tell he had been moved into a very small space, and he could now feel Floyd's breath on his ear. "Service elevator – all the best places have them." And he gently licked the bit of skin just below Reid's ear.

'_Oh god someone find me. Please know where I am!'_

With a clunking grating noise they slowly moved up to the next floor of the house.

"Second floor, Games room, bedchambers, and bathrooms. Our floor my sweet." And the chair was dragged out backwards into a large empty room. "Not much of a games room I know, but Daja is very strict on who I am permitted to bring home. That in effect is nobody. But never mind. I have you now." He pushed the chair out of the empty room and down yet another dark corridor. He pushed the chair right down to the end of the passage and through a door to the left. It was Flanders room.

Reid could feel Floyd's arms around him pulling him out of the chair and carrying him to a bed in the centre of the room. "Wait there. Going to get you a change of clothes – don't want them finding you dressed like that." The hand gently brushing against Floyd's made him stop and look down. "Spence, don't worry."

Spencer lay on the huge bed looking at the canopy above him. In another time. In another universe this would have been a dream. But this had twisted and become a nightmare. He was at last able to move his fingers and he had managed to lick his lips. His toes he could wiggle but it was all too slow in coming back to him.

"Floyd." He managed to whisper. He heard rushing feet over floor boards.

"I'm here." Pushing hair off his face so he could see him better. "How are you feeling? I am sorry I did what I did. I needed you away from Aaron, and I knew he wouldn't let me leave alone with you. He's going to be fine though. Don't worry."

"Please Floyd – you don't have to do this."

Flanders slowly started the laborious job of re-dressing Reid in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "I do need to so this. I have to show Daja." He looked down and smiled. "I remembered to pick out odd socks for you."

"Have to show Daja what?"

"That I care about you."

"You drugged and abducted me."

"I saved you from being thrown off the roof. I had to do that. You wouldn't have come here with me."

"You drugged Aaron."

"I am trying to keep you all safe! Can't you see that? I need Aaron safe."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing. I made a stupid pact with someone a long time ago. The rules seem to have changed. He changed the rules. I don't have to play his game anymore." He stood by the bed holding one of Spencer's hands. "Do you hear me Daja? I won't play. Go and find someone new to torment."

………………..

Gideon and Morgan were in a car heading for the Flanders residence.

There had been nothing to see on the main security cameras, but the ones in the elevator had worked. They watched Floyd take Spencer from the hospital in a wheelchair and their stomachs were in knots of fear.

"I will kill him!" Morgan started over to the way out.

Prentiss was at his shoulder. "Wait. We can't afford to split up and I need to check on Hotch. Don't you go anywhere."

Morgan glanced over at Gideon who looked back and nodded. They waited until Emily had rounded the corner and they left via the elevator to the SUV's waiting outside.

…………………

Daja, a short dark man walked out of the shadows and looked at the scene in front of him. "You need to do it now Floyd. Break the neck. Something quick. Get it over with, but you do need to do it."

"No, I won't do it. You will have to do it yourself."

A curl of the lip a sharp reply. "It needs to be you. You know it has to be you or Aaron, and you so cleverly removed him from the game so you have zero options Floyd. You will do it."

Spencer squeezed Floyd's hand.

"I can't Daja. I can't and I won't."

"You can and you will."

"I would rather die than do your bidding." Floyd stood protectively in front of Reid.

"I will arrange that for you. Finishing you off will be a pleasure. First I need you to take the life of Dr Reid. Then the first pact will be done with and we can move onto the next."

Reid could feel movement slowly returning. He wasn't going to permit this to happen. Whatever it was if he was out of the way then Aaron and Floyd would both be safe. He turned his head slowly to look out of the window. He cant lay here and be slaughtered knowing that it will mean Floyd will follow. He felt confused by the drug, and he tried to go over the episode guide for season one Star Trek, but it was muddled and he couldn't recall the details. He lay and listened to Floyd trying to make yet another deal with Daja. Spencer knew he couldn't let another man die for him. Whatever the circumstances. It wont happen.

He rolled off the bed and on very wobbly legs started to walk over to the newly repaired window.

"Leave him Daja." He said in a shaky voice. "I won't let you do this."

Flanders knew what Reid had planned and a sick knot of panic shot through him. "Spence don't!" He ran to the window and grabbed him to pull him away and felt the glass crack.

Gideon and Morgan stood in the door way looking at Reid and Flanders fighting at the window. Their guns up and ready.

"Get off me Floyd."

"Flanders get away from him." Gideon's voice carried through the dark room.

Floyd turned to face them still holding Reid by the hand who was pushing hard against the cracked glass. "You don't understand!" He put his hand into his pocket and did exactly what he shouldn't have done. He could hear the glass behind him cracking again and Spencer shouting to let him go.

"Floyd let go of me. I know what I am doing." He could feel the sobs travel through his body to his hand, but Floyd was not going to let him go. He was still weakened by the drug. He could keep hold of him.

He could feel a small knife in his pocket and he could feel Daja in the back of his mind. _'Take out the knife. Protect yourself. Use the knife. Stop them.'_

Floyd knew he shouldn't. He knew this was a mistake, but Spence was twisting his other hand and trying to pull away. The glass was cracking further, and he was trying to see what Gideon and Morgan were up to. Too much. Too much happening. He looked down and saw the knife in his hand. He drew it up closer to his face to look at it as the first bullet hit him in the chest.

Spencer let out howl of pain and the glass gave way as the second took Flanders in the shoulder.

They fell together. Twisting in the dark.

…………………

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	24. Chapter 24 Recovery

Recovery

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

They stood and looked down into the darkness. It was hard to make out who was who in the inky blackness below.

Morgan heard a sound coming from Gideon. A sound of distress. Jason turned and ran back out of the door, with Derek close behind. Gideon was shouting into his cell phone for medics to get there.

The two of them ran through the house to the back kitchen door and out to the patio. They could see now two forms. One laying on top of the other. They ran forwards hearts thumping.

Morgan could hear a faint whimpering noise. He stepped forwards trying to avoid the growing puddle of dark fluid seeping around them.

Flanders was laying face up on the patio his eyes looking blankly up to the stars. Reid was laying partially across him with his head on Floyd's chest.

He felt Reid's pulse and looked up to Jason and nodded. There seemed small chance that Floyd would still be alive, but Morgan bent over them to feel for a pulse there too. The odd keening sounds from Reid increased, and when Derek moved to close Flanders eyes a hand came over and slapped him away.

"Don't you touch him!"

Morgan could see that the fingers of his right hand were interlaced with Floyd's.

"Reid, can you move?"

"Go away. Leave me alone."

Jason knelt down so Reid could see him. "You are doing good Spencer. But you need to let go of him now. The medics are here. You need to go with them." He was talking quietly and stroking the back of Reid's hair ignoring the stickiness he could feel. "I will stay here and take care of Floyd. You don't need to worry. Derek can go with you to the hospital."

"Gideon." And a series of choked sobs.

"Shush now Spencer, I am here now, I will look after Floyd. You need to go and get checked out. You have been drugged and you fell a long way. Go sort yourself out and then you can worry about Flanders."

"He didn't hurt me."

"We will talk later Spencer. Go and get well – then we can talk." Gently Jason untangled Reid's fingers from Floyd's. Jason was unsure if Reid even knew he was holding his hand until he felt Spencer's fingers reaching out to touch Floyd again.

Morgan took over the job of comforting Reid as he obviously didn't want him near Floyd. He took his hand in his and gave encouraging words. "It will be OK kid. It's all over now." And the words cut through Spencer like a knife.

Jason stood in the moonlight next to the body of the man who had in actuality saved Reid's life. He crouched down next to him and looked into a face which seemed somehow familiar yet strange and gently closed his eyes. He sighed deeply and removed his light weight jacket and laid it over across him. Too late now. Too late to save him but not too late for a bit of dignity.

He stood back and watched the body bag arrive and when they started to move Flanders, he asked them to be respectful. He was a friend. Be gentle. At least he would then have kept his promise to Reid.

Slowly and with a sad heart he walked back to the SUV he had arrived in. He should have been there for him. He shouldn't have run out on him like that. Reid was still getting over the drug abuse problems and he abandoned him and now this. They were going to have to watch his fragile mind. Reid was going to monitored carefully again and Jason knew Reid would object.

…………………….

He sat next to Reid's bed for three days. Spencer laid and looked again at the ceiling and the shadows. His eyes flicking back and forth across looking at the demons in his mind. He read the X-Man comic to him, and he read some Proust and he read everything he could find to read in the hospital reception, and still Spencer stared at the shadows.

When Aaron came to visit he looked tired and sad. Jason knew things between him and Haley were bad and he was aware that Spencer was part of the problem.

"Does Haley know you are here?" He asked quietly at the doorway. The last thing Spencer needed now was a distraught wife screaming accusations down the corridors.

Hotch nodded. "I told her I would be here. What am I meant to do Jason? I can't walk away from him now. Not after what happened. You know he will never forgive Derek."

"He doesn't need to know all the details. Especially not now. He needs to heal and I need to keep my promise. Can you stay while I go to the morgue. I have things to arrange."

Hotch put a hand out on Jason's shoulder. "The man is not innocent of his crimes Jason. We have two missing police officers last seen at his house. He drugged me and abducted Reid. Don't let him trick you."

"The man is dead Aaron. How can he?" And Gideon walked off towards the elevators.

Hotch walked quietly into the room Reid was in and stood by his bed. He needed more than anything now to give comfort to him. He needed to hold him and tell him things to make what had happened go away but he had no words to say. Nothing was big enough or kind enough – so he stood and looked at the scared face and the tears.

Aaron turned when he felt someone was standing at his side. A blonde pretty nurse stood smiling. "You should talk to him. He can hear you. He is awake."

She walked over to Reid and picked up a damp cloth. "Hey Spencer, it's me again." She carefully wiped the cloth over his forehead and for a second his eyes stopped moving around and seemed to look at her. "How you feeling today? Want an update on the soaps?" She stood by the bed and chatted about the previous night's television. Then turned back to Hotch who was still standing not knowing what to do. "Does he play or watch sport? Would he be interested in the latest football results?"

Hotch stepped forwards and smiled. "He wouldn't be even slightly interested."

She smiled at Aaron and then back to Reid. She had started to wipe the cloth over his hand. "I didn't think you looked like a sports man. Too skinny. Not that I have anything against skinny."

……………..

The shadows pushed back at the sound of the voice. She came to talk to him, and he wanted to talk back, but not yet. Not now. Not with the shadows still there. This shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't still be here. It should have been him but again it all went wrong. Spencer could hear the voice chatting away and wiping his brow. He looked and her and wanted to smile, but he was afraid if he moved his mouth the million screams he had sealed behind them would escape.

The cool cloth was now on his hand and the thought he could see Aaron but he wasn't sure; the shadows were coming back again. Playing the same scenes over and over again in his head. Spencer closed his eyes and felt himself falling. He could feel Floyds hand tighten on his and he heard a sharp slapping sound and then nothing except the 'whump whump' in his ears and the feeling of mud covering his legs and water rising to his nose.

…………….

Prentiss. JJ and Morgan had returned to Flanders house. The place was huge yet hardly used. Most of the rooms stood empty. The only places that showed any signs of life where the display room where they had originally found Flanders tied up, the kitchen, which really didn't look that well used, and though the freezer and fridge seemed well stocked with joints of meat. The garage was empty. There was no sign of the red sports car he had and the silver SUV was out in the driveway. There was an office, small that it was it empty, not even a computer desk. The stairs had once had great painting hanging off the walls but now they were smashed and ruined and laying to the side in the hallway. A storage room off the display room peeked there curiosity. Boxes of bones and strips of leather were packed in there. Morgan picked up a long slightly curved bone and showed it to Emily.

"Does this look like a human leg bone to you?"

"I think those things need to been looked at by the lab." She replied as she shifted some bits aside and looked down at a box of what appeared to be teeth. "I think all of this stuff needs to be looked at by the lab." Emily corrected.

Up the stairs and to the right was the bedroom door they had been in previously. It had a big four-poster bed in the middle. The covers were slightly crumbled and Reid's hospital robe was on the floor next to it. Morgan looked at the scene and muttered under his breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Derek." It was Emily. "We don't know what went on here."

JJ went and looked out of the smashed window down at the remains of the blood out on the patio. "How did he survive a fall like that?" She said to herself.

On the top floor of the house they found the ripped up photographs. Hundreds of them torn and on the floor, but very obviously what they had been of. Photographs of Spencer. They picked some of them up, then let them drop back to the floor.

"What the hell was going on here?" Morgan kicked some of the scraps around.

"Well we will never find out now will we?" And her voice held an accusatory tone.

"I did what I had to." He snapped back.

They left the strained conversation there knowing it wouldn't get them anywhere to argue about something they had no way of changing. JJ opened the door to the dark room and let out a sigh.

"He had quite a set up." The smashed cameras were still laying on the floor but it was the table in the middle which caught their attention. Polaroid pictures mainly of the incident at the pool with Lila. Some had been cut up and Lila removed from them and some had writing along the bottom. Different hand writings on different pictures. Some need and printed and some fancy and cursive. Both sets of handwriting looked familiar.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Morgan asked.

JJ dropped the picture she was looking at. "He couldn't have been the unsub in all of those murders Derek and more than one person has been here." Again they would have to leave this to the lab.

…………………………..

Gideon found the receptionist down in the morgue. He needed to arrange a funeral for Reid's friend. He had promised he would take care of things, and he would.

"Hello." He said and attempted to smile. "I need to talk to someone about Floyd Flanders."

The woman behind the desk looked up at Jason and nodded. "I think he has already been collected sir. Let me check for you." She typed in something on her computer as Gideon stood looking puzzled. "Yes I remember. A relative of his Sir. Yesterday picked him up to take him back home."

"I see. Do you have a name? I didn't know he had family."

"I shouldn't really tell you."

"I know you shouldn't but I would really appreciate it if you did."

"Just don't tell anyone I told you." She typed in some more things. "He was European I think. Ah here we are. Mr Daja."

……………………..

Reid sat in his apartment. He wanted, no he needed to be absolutely alone, but they wouldn't let him. He would sit and play chess with Gideon and sometimes he would win.

Occasionally Aaron would pop round but he was back with Haley again and it seemed this is what he wanted. He didn't want to have to deal with the breakup of his marriage and this silent strange man who had taken Reid's place.

The girls came round once a week with ice cream and a movie and he sat and muttered replies back to them and in a way it was fun, and almost like it had been once before.

The only person he didn't see was Morgan. He had requested that he kept away from him. He needed to ask 'why' but didn't think he could cope with the answer.

Every night he lay on the top of his covers too afraid to feel covered and constricted by the weight. He tried to stay awake for as long as he could, not knowing what his mind would conjure up for him that night.

He would be having a psych evaluation soon, and he would pass yet again. As he did after the Hankel thing happened. He passed then. He hid it well. But for now he must lay here in the half light and try not to sleep. Then when sleep would finally arrive he would see Floyd's face. That dead face and the empty eyes, and he will know it was his fault. He wasn't strong enough to do what should have been done. Drifting in the shadows and floating in his dreams and nightmares he would keep falling and falling, trying to make sure he was on the bottom next time, but never quite managing it.

In the mornings he would get up and smile at Gideon who had been sleeping in his chair since he came out of hospital. He would have a shower and he would wash his hair and clean his teeth and then go and eat the eggs and pancakes Jason would have cooked.

"Excuse me a minute." Spencer would suddenly say, and make a rush for the bathroom, closing and locking the door and turning on the taps and finally the relief of throwing up. At least he had this. The rest of his life might be controlled by something else. But this. Yes this was his.

……………………….

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!!I support the 2007 WGA STRIKE!!

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	25. Chapter 25 Bitter Taste

Bitter Taste

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Mumbles something about the WGA strike and support etc etc

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

He sat at his desk and felt almost content. This was where he belonged. This was where he felt he could actually put his talents to some use. Sitting at home playing chess day after day couldn't be good for a man's spirit. In fact it was completely soul destroying. It was nice for Gideon to come back and to keep him company, but his babysitter had flown the coop again, and at last his evenings were his own. Reid was early. Not very early, actually normal for him, just early for everyone else and he felt a little bit of control coming back again. The control which had been lost so many times recently. His fingers moved to his inner elbow of his right arm, and he wiggled his toes inside his shoes.

Reid looked at the sports water bottle on the desk in front of him and slowly picked it up and held it to the light. "Did you know that water has a colour? It is blue."

He thought he was talking to himself but a voice behind him made him jump and make a small squeak.

"I might have read that somewhere." It was Emily. "Lovely to see you back again Reid. Want me to get you a coffee; you look sort of alone there without a mug in your hand."

He turned and smiled his best smile at her. "No thank you Emily." A cheerful voice. "I'm good." And he showed her the Mountain Fresh Mineral Water bottle.

"Water? Are you sure you are ready to come back to work?" She was still smiling.

Reid turned back to his desk annoyed with her now. "I hardly think you are the person to judge my mental health." And he pulled out his pen and looked at the empty in tray.

Prentiss stepped around to the front of Reid's desk. "I didn't mean to sound – how ever I sounded. I can get stuff for your in tray if you want."

The smile still there, but now that comfortable feeling he had earlier had gone. Now he felt deficient and unwanted. He felt alone.

"Go away Emily." Was the only thing he could think of to say. "I need to talk to Hotch before I can 'fill in' any forms." Alright he had more he could say. He could say rather a lot but he held his tongue and watched her walk away and get a coffee. _'Hope she chokes on it' _

……………

And now he was sitting in Aarons office and he was looking down at his hands and neither of them were talking. He didn't want to be here with Hotch, he just wanted to be at his desk or doing something, anything to occupy his mind, to take it away from where it insisted in slipping back to, over and over again. Every time he closed his eyes. Every time his mind got distracted from what he should be doing his mind slipped back to the dark places.

"The report says that they think it is too early for you to be in the field." Hotch was saying.

Spencer kept his eyes on his hands. His fingers twisting around each other. "The report is wrong." He muttered. "I am fine. I won't freak out. How many times do I have to tell people I am ok?"

"Probably until you show us that you are. Look at me Reid, I am talking to you." His voice was the calm cold voice Reid was so used to, but now the coldness felt like ice, and the calm: indifference.

He shifted his eyes to look away from his hand and over Hotch's shoulder and rubbed his sweaty palms on his legs. "I was thinking." And his eyes flickered around the room. "Of requesting a transfer, maybe to organised crime."

Hotch looked at Reid sitting fidgeting unable to make eye contact and sighed. "I think you need to give it time Reid, to settle back in. If you need more time off I will understand."

Suddenly Spencer's eyes locked with Aarons. "You will never understand. That's the problem."

The eyes searching Aaron's soul made him feel uncomfortable and he looked away from the young hurting agent and looked at the door. "You are cleared for office work. You just need to sign this to say I have spoken to you, and you can go." Hotch slid a bit of paper across the desk at Reid.

By the time Reid had signed the form and returned to his desk Derek had arrived and it was at that point that Reid realised that he couldn't do this. His safe family, his place in the world, his reason for being here was gone.

…………………

The men's room. A place to think without being watched. He hated the way people looked at him now. Waiting for him to do something odd. Looking for the signs, but he wasn't going to let them see.

Spencer stood and looked at his face in the mirror. He could see his cheek bones clearer than he had a couple of weeks ago. He needed to be careful. The last thing he needed was for them to take this from him too. Slowly he ran a finger down the side of his face and looked at the darkness around his eyes. He could say all the right things in a psych evaluation, but he couldn't disguise this look. He tucked his hair behind his ears and ran the tap filling his hands with water. A voice behind him made him jump.

"We need to talk about things." It was Morgan. His stomach tied in knots as he had a flashback of the gun in Morgan's hand.

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear." Reid turned to look at the man who was once his friend.

"I haven't explained." Morgan took a step closer. He wanted to comfort his friend. Say the right things to him. "I need to explain."

Reid wiped his wet hands on the side of his trouser legs. "To ease a guilty conscience? I am not really interested in your explanations."

"Reid." And he stepped forwards again wanting to physically reach out for Reid but Spencer pushed past him and walked towards the men's room door. He wanted to scream at him, to hit out at him, and unleash some of this pain on him, but that would look bad. He had to stay calm and in control, and right now, right this minute, he could only think of one thing to do.

Spencer took to the bullpen at a run and tripping up the steps and falling to his knees he was at a virtual crawl when he made it to the comparative haven of Hotch's office. He burst through the door and slammed in hard behind him. Hotch was talking to someone on the phone and looked over at the sweating hyperventilating Spencer.

"I will have to call you back. Something's come up." And he put the phone down. "Reid, what's wrong?" He sounded like he cared. Almost like the old Hotch, he stood and went to the door Reid was leaning on and locked it. "Come and sit down."

"Hotch – I said I wouldn't freak. I think I just did." He was trying to control the breaths, taking them deeper, getting more oxygen to his brain.

A gentle hand on Reid's arm. "Please Spencer, come and sit."

But the closeness and that smell of comfort and security was over whelming. Reid leaned forwards and rested his forehead on Aaron's shoulder. He just wanted to be held. To feel safe.

"I need to go. Hotch, I'm not ready for this."

"You faked your psych evaluation. I don't want you back here until you are ready. You need counselling. You must talk to Morgan."

Reid lifted his head and leaned back on the door again. "He killed him Hotch. He was trying to stop me and he killed him."

Aaron nodded and walked to the couch leaving Reid at the door. Hopefully he would follow. "I have read the report. It looked like he was trying to push you out of the window. He had hold of you. You were trying to get away and the window was about to break. Morgan did what he felt was necessary."

Reid's eyes dropped to the floor. "No matter how many times I look at this, and whatever angle I take on this, it boils down to the same thing." He walked over to the couch and sat. "I failed and I am finding it hard to come to terms with the results of my failure, Hotch. Someone is dead because of me. He was protecting us Aaron and Morgan killed him."

"Go home Reid. Take another week. Book an appointment. Talk to someone."

Go home. Was that it? Spencer stood up and walked back to the door quickly unlocking it and closing it quietly behind him. Aaron sat and looked at the door close and it broke his heart. He needed to help him, but didn't know how. Emotions weren't his strong point.

………………

At home at last. He closed his main door and locked it and then set the alarm. He hung his messenger bag up on a hook in the hallway and shrugged off his jacket, leaving it laying on the floor. His first stop was the kitchen. He moved quickly to the fridge and pulled out a tub of chocolate ice cream and a spoon and moved quickly to his lounge and chair. He dumped the tub of ice cream on the coffee table and the moved to the heavy drapes which he pulled tightly shut and then returned to his chair and sat with his feet on the chair and his ice cream nestled on his lap. He ate it fast. Almost not stopping to breathe between mouthfuls. All his concentration was focused on that tub of ice cream and the small metal spoon. Eyes glazed over in ecstasy of the feeling of so much going down his throat so fast. It was almost making him gag, but the quicker it went down the more he needed. When it was finished he dropped the tub and spoon to the floor and went back to the kitchen.

He sat with a bag of candy bars on his lap and carefully started to unwrap.

Unwrap one at a time. Eat as fast as you can. Unwrap.

Unwrap the next. Eat. Drop rubbish on the floor. The need to eat. Alone, in secret. Away from everyone else. Carefully unwrapping.

Unwrap the next one and roll the foil and paper. Eat.

Unwrap the next one and hold and twist the foil and paper and then eat.

Unwrap the final one. Deep dark rich chocolate melting and sticking to his fingers. He lifted his fingers slowly to his mouth and licked and sucked the last bits of chocolate off them and then sat and looked at the mess.

……………….

Spencer sat in his chair until it was dark outside. How many hours? He wasn't really sure, but now he needed to go and sort himself out. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Then put a folded towel on the floor in front of the toilet. Carefully he laid out all the things he would need after the shower, some sweat pants and a t-shirt he would wear for his night time vigil and his tooth brush and tooth paste ready loaded. Then he went back to the kitchen and heated up the water in the kettle.

Reid poured salt into a glass, and then covered it with hot water. He stirred it until the salt was dissolved and topped the glass up with cold tap water. He walked a bit slower now to the bathroom. This routine was his. This was what was holding him together. Something he was in control of and no one else. Nothing to disturb him. No one to interfere. He knelt on the folded towel and put the glass of warm salty water to his mouth. It would be vile but that was the whole point. He drank it back quickly then leant over the toilet bowl and emptied his stomach. Spencer's back hurt with the strain, his ribs hurt, his throat burned, and he cried. He cried and sobbed and said sorry and vomited the ice cream and chocolate which was so nice when he ate it, but now left a foul bitter taste in his mouth.

How long had he been there for? He wasn't sure, but the shower was running cold now. No matter. A cold shower would wake him up again and stop him falling and twisting in his dreams.

Reid showered and slipped into the slightly too big for him sweats, and cleaned his teeth until his gums bled. Then slowly he walked to his bed room and lay on the bed one arm across his chest, the other thrown above his head on his pillow.

He lay like this until finally the shadows pulled him down again and he was spinning and twisting and holding a hand trying to do it right. Just once.

…………………


	26. Chapter 26 End Plan

End Plan

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A/N: Still supporting the 2007 WGA writers strike.

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

The morning came too slowly. Spencer was awake by four in the morning and was clearing up the mess he made the day before. He picked up the little twisted bits of paper. Some of them looked like tiny animals. He saved them and lined them up on a shelf. He couldn't remember making those. Everything had to be put back as it was. There could be no sign of anything out of the ordinary here.

He picked up his jacket up off the hallway floor and hung it up with his messenger bag, and then went and cleaned up the bathroom.

Spencer checked again that the lock was on the door and the alarm was set, and then went around his small apartment pulling down the blinds and closing the drapes.

You are doing good Spencer.

He dragged his chair over to the corner of the room, and sat curled up in it so he could see the door and window, yet keep his back protected. He sat and his eyes flicked from the drapes to the door. He got up again and checked that the window was locked, and that the drapes left no gaps for the light to get in. he went quickly to all the other windows and made sure the locks were securely in place. He checked the door lock again and reset the alarm, then made a coffee.

Spencer returned to his chair and sat with his eyes flicking from window to door, and sometimes making sure the chair couldn't go any further back into the corner. He sipped the coffee, but when it steamed up his glasses and stopped him from seeing so well he set it down on the floor. Reid made odd little noises as he removed his glasses to clean them. His vision blurred and the shadows were there waiting for him. This was ok.

You are doing good Spencer.

When the knock came at the door he jumped and squeaked, but didn't move. He stayed sitting and looking at the door. There was no one he wanted or needed to talk to right now. He needed to be alone.

The knocking got louder and more insistent. The door was rattling on its hinges, and the lock was creaking. He could see the wood splintering as the door began to heave inwards.

He pulled his knees in tight to his body and wrapped his arms around them and stared at the door. A sudden flash of red on the wall told him the alarm had gone off. Another nightmare. He had fallen asleep in his chair. Not good.

This is not good Spencer.

When the door finally popped open he saw a small dark figure in the door way.

"You messed up." And the figure was standing in front of Reid.

Spencer kept his face in his knees. This was a strange nightmare. He seemed to almost have control over it, and there was none of the falling and floating. Yes this was different. "I know." He muttered back.

"Well what are you going to do about it?" Spencer could feel the hot breath on the back of his neck and one hand moved from holding his legs in tightly to protecting the back of his neck.

"I don't know what to do." He whispered back.

"Yes you do. It's not too late." The small dark man was now looking at the books on Reid's selves. "Interesting subject matter you have here. Tell me Spencer – why are you still here?"

"I I don't – I don't know what you mean." Still talking into his knees.

Now hot breath on Spencer's ear. "Yes you do! Think. I will give you time to consider your options and then I will return and you will tell me what you decided to do about it. I will provide all you need. Just tell me. Don't wait up. I don't know how long I will be. Matters to attend to."

Reid could feel his chair vibrating for a few seconds and then nothing.

Silence. Then distant whispering. For a while it sounded like there were people in his apartment whispering and moving around. Then it faded away and there was silence again. Blessed silence.

He screwed his eyes shut. Still sitting one arm hugging his legs and one hand on the back of his neck.

Then the whispering returned and got louder. It sounded like he was under water. He could hear his name but his confused mind wouldn't let him focus on it. He just knew he couldn't move from the chair.

A hand on his shoulder. A gentle hand. "Reid?" And the voice was closer and it sounded calm but worried. "Reid what happened?" It was Aaron. Why was Hotch here? Reid took a deep breath and looked up. Keeping his hands securely where they were.

"Hotch? What are you doing here?" Genuinely confused look on Spencer's face.

"You neighbours called in the local PD who in turn called us. What the hell happened here?" Hotch was kneeling on the floor trying to look closely at Spencer's face.

"N n nothing happened."

"Spencer, your door. What happened?"

"Nothing." And he closed his eyes again and rested his forehead on his knees.

Now he felt a hand on his face and lifting his chin. "Look at me Spencer." Still the calm voice. "Spencer please."

Slowly he opened his eyes again. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't a nightmare. This was real. "Hotch?" What was Hotch doing here? Why couldn't he focus?

"Talk to me Reid. What happened? Are you hurt?" Hotch moved one of his hands to cover the hand on the back of Reid's neck "Let me see?"

…………….

Morgan was standing silently. He didn't want to freak his friend out again but something bad had happened. He inspected the doorframe. It had been smashed in from the outside. The locks broken, the hinges snapped, the wood of the door splintered, and the alarm was not working at all.

He looked over at Prentiss who was just emerging from the kitchen. She looked over at Morgan and shook her head. "Nothing odd in there except the lack of food, but that's normal for Reid." They stood and watched Hotch try to talk to Reid. "He needs professional help Derek."

Morgan nodded and rubbed his head with his hands.

…………

"Where are my glasses? I can't see properly." Reid's eyes were flicking around the room.

Hotch reached out to the coffee table and handed them to Spencer. "Here." The hand on the back of Reid's neck slowly moved away and he took his glasses from Aaron. He looked quickly at what Reid had been hiding with his hand, but all he could see was the imprints of his own fingernails.

"Thank you."

"Now talk to me about your door Reid. Someone has smashed down your door. You must have seen it."

A shake of the head and now both arms hugged his knees. "I heard it."

"I will get someone over here to fix it. Re-enforced steel plate would be a good option. Are you OK with that?" He got a nod in return and Aaron indicated to Morgan to call in the specialist to fit a new door. "Your alarm isn't working either."

"I set the alarm." And he chewed on his bottom lip. "Someone turned it off."

Hotch tried to untangle Reid's arms from his legs. "You need somewhere to stay until you door and alarm are fixed." Holding Reid by the hands but still not getting eye contact. "Can you stand?"

A small nod and he unfolded him self from the chair and stood. He leaned on Hotch's arm but looked beyond him to Morgan and Prentiss.

"Morgan." Almost in a whisper.

Derek walked slowly over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You OK there kid?"

"No – I really don't think I am. Can I stay with you for a while?" Morgan could feel Reid was trembling.

"You know you are always welcome. If that is what you want to do. But Reid what happened here?"

A shake of the head. "I really don't know. I thought it was a nightmare. I didn't look."

"Did you see anyone?" Aaron wanted to know.

"I don't know what was real and what I was dreaming." A sigh "I am sorry. Derek I really am sorry."

………………..

_Good. Get him alone and do what you need to do. One way or another you will sort this mess out._

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	27. Chapter 27 Grande Finale

Grande Finale

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I support the 2007 WGA strike..//sigh

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

And so this is why Spencer is sitting on the big brown leather couch at Morgan's house trying to avoid looking at Clooney who looked like he wanted to bite Reid's face off. Time for that later.

He needed to make sure Derek trusted him. He will use all his profiling tricks here. Morgan won't know what hit him. Not until it was far too late.

Derek sat down on a couch facing Reid and passed him over a can of lager and a glass. "So do you feel like saying what happened earlier."

Sticking his nose in. Prying. Trying to get nuggets of information to use against you later. "Nothing happened." Stupid reply. Something obviously happened. Reid pulled an irritated face and poured some drink from the can to the glass.

"Some thing definitely happened, Reid. Doors don't implode on their own." Morgan was drinking straight from the can.

Reid looked across to Morgan trying his best to look open and calm and friendly. The face Morgan saw looked blank and empty.

"I don't remember. As far as I am concerned it was a nightmare. Sometimes they get a bit – I don't know how to describe it – real?"

Derek leaned forwards and put his can on the table with no coaster. Reid felt his eye twitch slightly at this.

"I know Reid, I was with you for one once. I know what happened then. Are you telling me that is what happened this time? You fell asleep and dreamed your door was smashed down, and when you woke up it had?"

Reid wanted to slam his glass down on the smoked glass topped table in front of him. He wanted to feel the glass shatter in his hand, but there was no coaster. No damned coasters.

"Where are your coasters?" And Reid was standing looking around the room.

"My what?"

"Coasters, so I can put my glass down."

"You don't need one. Just put it on the table." Morgan was watching Reid carefully. Profiling him. Looking at his reactions.

"I need a coaster." Sitting down – stay calm.

Morgan grinned. "Just put the glass on the table."

He put the glass down. He put it down hard. He felt the tumbler break in his hand and the felt the glass shards stick into this palm and fingers.

"Reid what the hell?" And Morgan was standing looking at Reid who was looking at his hand.

"I told you I wanted a coaster. You never listen do you? I can talk and talk to you, but you never hear me." Spencer stood up again pulling bit of glass out of his hand. "I need the bathroom."

Derek was standing too now looking at Reid then at the table then back to Reid. "Let me look at it." And he was walking forwards.

"I am fine." Reid spun, his head spun more and he felt wobbly for a second. Then he walked quickly to Morgan's bathroom.

Reid turned all the hot water on and stood looking in the mirror until the glass was steamed up. Then he looked down at his right hand. He hadn't meant to cut himself like this. He hadn't meant to break the glass. He just wanted someone to listen to him. But still nothing. He was Reid after all. Use abuse put to one side. Neglected and abandoned. Always, nothing ever changes. Something set in stone at birth. This child will be full of potential, but we shall fill his path with too many obstacles for him to ever fully achieve. Cursed with an eidetic memory which according to recent reports doesn't really exist. This thing which makes him different. Which gives him a purpose doesn't really exist? How can this be?

He looked at his hand and again and at the bits of glass. This was going to hinder his plans. This hurt. He opened up Morgan's medicine cabinet and looked for painkillers. A big tub of them but never been opened. Not that that mattered. Reid opened the tub and put two in his hand and looked at them. He added another two and then dry swallowed them together. Spencer returned to the steamed up mirror and wrote on it backwards. A small tear escaped from behind his eyes and tracked its way down the side of his nose.

…………….

Hotch, Prentiss and JJ stood in Reid's apartment. "I need this place searched properly. I have to know what is going on with Reid." Hotch was walking towards the kitchen.

There didn't seem to be anything out of place or odd. The only strange thing was the lack of any food. Maybe he always got take away? He definitely didn't cook in here. No cooking pans, just plates and mugs, cutlery etcetera. Everything clean and sparkly. A used glass stood in the sink. Hotch picked it up with gloved fingers and looked at it. White crystals had settled in the bottom of the glass. He would send it over to the lab unless Reid could tell them what it was. Until then Hotch sealed it in a bag and wrote on the label. He left it on the kitchen counter.

JJ was looking around the lounge. She noted how the chair had been moved and she saw the funny little paper and foil origami type things on the shelf. They hadn't been there last time she was over. JJ was sure she would have noticed. There were deep scrape marks in the floorboards where Reid had dragged the chair. He had been in a rush or a panic. Reid would normally take more care. Or had this all been part of he dream he insisted he had.

Prentiss walked into Reid's bathroom. Once again a very tidy room. She noted the folded towel on a self next to the toilet. She noted air freshener cans in a row next to it. She looked at the tub and the myriad of different things to put in the water to make it smell good. Reid always smelled good. She smiled at bit at this. She noted the toothbrush and tooth paste in a mug next to the basin taps and she saw the bottle of mouthwash almost empty. So far nothing out of the ordinary. She flipped open his bathroom cabinet and looked for a moment puzzled. She reached in and removed a box of something and with a frown put it back. She then picked up a different box and looked at it. Again she frowned and returned it. She carefully closed the cabinet door and suddenly she felt like she had intruded in a deep dark place of Spencer's that she should never have known about. Quickly she turned and went to the kitchen.

Hotch was just finishing up making some notes when Emily rushed in and picked up the kitchen bin. She upended it onto the table and looked down at the contents. Ice cream cartons, chocolate bar wrappers, candy wrappers.

She looked up at Hotch. "I think I know what one of Reid's problems might be. His bathroom cabinet is full of laxatives and diuretics. He has a folded towel within hands reach from the toilet. He uses extra strong toothpaste and mouth wash and his bin is full of junk food."

JJ was standing in the door way listening. That still doesn't explain the front door and alarm.

Prentiss turned to look at JJ, "I know, but it is a start. We can get him help for this."

Hotch looked down at his phone. "I will let Morgan know. It is probably best not to confront him on this yet."

………………….

He roughly wiped the tear from his face. He had to remain in control here. He couldn't afford to lose grip now. He ran his hand under the tap until the water ran clear and then wiped it dry on a towel. Reid wasn't sure now if it was really painful or not. He just needed to get this over with. A deep breath. He swallowed and then opened the bathroom door. Derek was standing looking at him.

"Going to explain what that was all about?" He sounded snappy. Unfriendly.

"I told you. No coaster." He walked back to the lounge area and sat back down again. Stay calm. Don't freak out again or you will fail, and you can't afford to fail again.

"I'll go and get us something to eat." Morgan was walking towards the kitchen.

Reid nodded and lied, "Thank you. I am starving."

He watched Morgan go in his kitchen and then stood up. He had seen where Derek had put his gun when they arrived here, and this is where Reid was heading now. The cupboard drawer slid open silently and Reid quickly checked the gun for ammo, and removed the safety.

He stated to walk towards the kitchen when he heard Morgan's phone bleep.

"Hotch yes all is great." And a pause. "I will go and get him." and footsteps heading his way.

Reid held the gun up. "Reid what the hell are you playing at! Put that down."

"Front sight, trigger press, follow through."

…………………..

Hotch heard the distinct sound of a gun firing. Then the line went dead.

………………….

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A/N That is the end! PM me if need.

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	28. Chapter 28 A Not So Grande Finale

A Not So Grande Finale

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!!I support the 2007 WGA Strike!!

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Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

**A/N wasn't going to do this….but now I feel I should. I don't much do happy endings so please don't expect one. If you were content with the way the last chapter ended, plz don't feel the need to read this!

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He sat on his bed with his head slightly tilted to one side. He had closed off all the sounds from around him. He didn't want to hear it. He wanted to be alone but this wasn't ever going to happen again. Surrounded by people locked in their own little worlds. Some had been here for decades rather than years. Appeal after appeal, and occasionally it will work and they will slide through the system and out the other side and will be free from their death sentence, and at least not be here. Sitting doing nothing with only voices in your head to keep you company.

They guy straight across from him kept calling out. "Oy! You! New boy - what you here for?"

But he ignored it.

When they first brought him in he had tried to cut his writs with some glass so now he was watched all the time. They took his belt, they took his glasses, they took his shoes and they made it very clear that if he tried anything else they would strip him down completely. So he just sat now. Waiting. Today someone was coming to see him. A break in routine. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't have any fight left in him. His last bit of willpower left when he pulled the trigger and shot his friend between the eyes.

"Get up." A voice the other side of the cell bars. He knew the routine here. He stood with his feet slightly apart and his hands out in front. He kept his eyes down looking at the floor and watched as they attached the leg irons and the chain coming up to the cuffs they put on his hands. He was escorted clanking down the aisle either side of him jeering prisoners shouting abuse and comments which he about managed to block by reciting information over and over in his head.

He was manhandled down to a door at the end which opened as they approached. They stood in the area it open up into. A square. He heard the door behind him close and lock and then the door in front of him opened and he was pushed forwards. No love for bent cops, absolutely no love for wayward FBI agents who murdered their partners. He was now standing, still looking down at his feet, in a corridor. Two doors on either side. Big reinforced doors with tiny windows set at eye height for the average man. They took him to the second door on his left and the guard used an electronic key to open it.

Spencer was told to sit on the chair in the middle of the room, and the chains holding his hands and feet were now secured to the metal chair he was sitting on. This chair bolted to the floor. They didn't intend taking any risks with this one. Give him a chance and he will try to hang himself. He sat and looked down at his hands. There was another chair on the other side of the room. This would be where his guest for the day would sit. He had no idea who it would be. He had been seen by the chaplain, just to ask if he would like prayer sessions arranged, which he didn't. He had been seen by a lawyer, did he want to appeal? – No he didn't. He had been seen by psychiatrists and by people writing books, and so who this was going to be today was anyone's guess.

Almost as soon as the door opened though, he knew who it was, and Reid wanted to get away. He didn't want to be seen by this person. He couldn't face this person. He wanted to wrap his arms around himself and pull his knees up and hold himself together. Keep himself safe, but that smell was still comforting, and so he kept still and kept his eyes down.

"Reid." He didn't respond. Hotch had been told this was the normal reaction he could expect. A big fat zero. He watched Reid carefully for a minute. Watched how still he was. How un-natural he looked sitting still. His hands laying limp in the cuffs and his feet looked cold and sore. "What happened to your feet?"

Spencer wasn't expecting that sort of question. He was expecting another session of 'why' and 'how' but this was personal and almost caring.

"Reid, please look at me." Spencer could feel pain in Hotch's voice. He looked up slowly, trying to keep his hair over his face and hide his soul from Aaron.

Aaron saw a blank expression. He saw yellow bruising around Reid's eye, he saw the split lip and the blue mark along his jawline. He wanted desperately to get up and hold his broken person.

"They should be protecting you from the other inmates Spencer."

A small nod. "They are."

"Spencer, you rejected your chance to appeal against this."

"I know. I know what I did Hotch. I planned it. How can I appeal against it?"

Hotch shook his head. "I can help you. We can arrange treatment."

Reid's face finally made an expression other than blank. It looked confused. "Treatment for what?"

"The psychosis, I need to find out if it was.."

Reid cut him off. "I knew what I was doing Hotch. That is the whole point. I am not my mother. I'm not crazy."

Again the urge to get up and hold his man. "I didn't mean to imply that." He watched the eyes go back to looking at the floor again.

"It has been decided Aaron. Leave it be. This is what I want. I don't want to appeal; I don't want t t treatment. There is nothing – nothing wrong with me. I knew what I I I was doing. It was – was premeditated. I went to Morgan's home with one goal in mind and I was - and I was successful. There really isn't anything else to say. Thank you for coming to s s see me, but I really need to be left alone n now. Go back to Haley and Jack and forget about me. It m makes everyone's life so much easier."

Hotch knew this was killing another part of what was left of Reid, and he could feel his tears fighting to come. He stood up slowly and walked to Spencer and knelt down in front of him. "Spencer."

He kept his face down but he could small Aaron's apple shampoo and he could smell that safe smell. "You aren't meant to get this close. They have rules."

"Look at me Spencer." And he put a hand under Reid's chin to lift his face level with his own "I don't know what happened. I don't understand why you did what you did, but I believe in you. I know it was for a reason. I just don't know what it was." He pushed some of Reid's hair off his sticky sweaty face.

Reid wanted to reach out and touch Hotch's face, but his hands were secured too tightly. He felt the light kiss on his cheek, and watched him stand up. "Hotch." His voice came out as a choked sob. Aaron crouched back down again and held Reid's hands. Hotch felt the tightness of the squeeze Spencer gave him back. "Do you still have nightmares Aaron?" He was whispering.

Hotch nodded. "Every night."

"This will end them you know. Once it is finished the nightmares will stop."

"I know." And he thought how he would rather have the horrific nightmares and Reid, than lose them both. But he didn't. He squeezed Reid's hands tighter and bent down slightly to give each of his fingers a kiss. Spencer looked down at the top of Aaron's head and his heart started to beat too hard and his breathing was too shallow, and he saw Hotch stand up again. "Goodbye Spencer." And he watched as the feet moved away, and Reid thought he was going to die. The pain was unbelievable and now as the door closed behind him he couldn't breathe and he couldn't move.

When the guards came in the get him and take him back to his cell he couldn't stand up. The pushed and dragged and then finally kicked him back into his cell and removed the restraints. They left him curled up on the floor wondering why he was still here.

"Oy you new boy! What you here for? Why don't they let you out with us? You a paedo? You been killing and raping babies? What did you do what's got them so wound up in here?"

He shut off the shouts of, "Paedo baby killing scum." Let them think what they wanted. It didn't matter any more.

His food was left to get cold. He didn't feel like eating. How could be eat? Why would he bother? There was no point in anything now. Just a wait, a long wait until the end. They made note that he hadn't touched his food and they made note that he was still laying on the floor. The other inmates had given up their taunts for now, absolutely no fun if you never get a response.

……………..

Another night time. Lights dimmed but not off. At least that was a small blessing. He was never in the dark. As long as he could stay awake he would be safe. He just needed to stay awake. He dragged himself to his bed and lay down facing the wall. He reached out and ran his fingers down the surface of the wall. Something real and as the night went on and he listened now to the calls and whimpers from the other men trapped in here his eyes slid shut and the darkness pulled him back under the ground. He could feel the mud being thrown on him and the feet stamping on him and the water reaching his nose, and he could feel he was spinning and twisting and falling and holding a calloused hand in his.

"It's OK Spence." And he felt someone lay on the bed behind him. "It's all sorted. Not much longer now." And now he could feel the hot breath on the back of his neck and arms enfolding him and pulling him close.

…………….

The following day he was restrained again and taken down to the room he had seen Aaron in. He as again secured to the chair and left for a few minutes. He heard someone enter and sit down on the chair the other side of the room. But Spencer didn't look up. He wasn't interested in anything anyone had to say to him. It had all been said a thousand times over.

"Spencer." It was Gideon. Reid looked up slowly at his mentor and saw a very troubled sad face looking back at him.

"Gideon. I need to tell you something." He saw Jason nod. "When Pepe had me. When he was forcing me to do things – you were there with me. I didn't beg. I didn't call for help. I need you to know that. I never once begged or pleaded. I didn't try to work him out the way I did Hankel." Another nod. Was that all he came here to do?

"I'm glad you didn't beg Spencer. You need to keep that with you. Hold that inside. Don't let anyone take that dignity from you."

"You hate me. I never wanted you to hate me."

Jason leaned forward in his chair trying to see this man he thought of as his son closer. Trying to get a peek into his soul. "I don't hate you Spencer. I am distressed. I don't understand what happened. What went wrong? When did it start to go wrong Spencer?"

He thought for a little while. "The day I killed Dowd." Again a nod from Jason.

"I told you then, that you did what you needed to do. You saved lives that day." Such a sad calm voice. "I was and I still am proud of you."

Reid licked his lips. "I know what you said. I know."

A long pause as the older man looked at the younger man who was staring at bruised looking feet.

"If you need anything. If there is something you want to talk about. Something, anything, you know don't you Spencer I will fight for you."

Reid glanced up. "I don't want to appeal Gideon, I just want it all to hurry up and end."

Gideon ran his hand over his face. He could feel the tears welling up behind his eyes. He didn't want Reid to see that. Spencer didn't need that as memory – pity – so he stood up and walked over to Spencer and placed a hand on the top of his head. "I love you. You know that don't you?"

A gasping sobbing sound was his reply.

………………

Again his food was untouched.

This time someone came to talk to him about it. He was sitting on his bed looking at his feet when the doors to his cell opened and someone came in.

He was told about the damage he would do to himself if he didn't eat. Could he please at least drink something? They could get him something with nutrients in it if he felt unable to eat. Reid asked this concerned sounding person what the point was. He asked why they were bothering. Reid was informed that a trip to the infirmary will be required if he kept up this silly refusal to eat and what was he protesting against anyway?

He told them he was protesting against being here. Still being here. He wanted it over with. Reid was told that if he wasn't eating by tomorrow he would be strapped to a bed in the infirmary and will be given intravenous fluids. He wouldn't be able to kill himself by starving, so he may as well eat and stop behaving like a child.

……………….

He curled up again that night and put his hands on the wall and sobbed on the inside and then screamed on the inside. When the arms wrapped themselves around him and he felt the soft kiss on the back of his neck he started a soft quiet cry.

"Shush, it's ok Spence. I'm here with you."

And Spencer pushed back against the form on the bed behind him needing to feel crushed and absorbed by him. Needing more than just the arms around him and the gentle hands and the soft kisses.

"You need to do something for you Spence. Tomorrow. I need you to be in solitary somewhere."

"What do you mean?" Whispering and crying and needing voice.

"Start a fight, hit someone, do anything. I need you to be alone. Anywhere, it doesn't matter, just not here."

"I don't want to hurt anyone else. I have hurt enough people."

"Then think of something. I will see you tomorrow."

And the arms unwound from him and the hands held him gently on the shoulders and Spencer closed his eyes and slept his first night in months with no nightmares.

…………………….

He awoke early. He knew what he needed to do. Reid stood and walked to the bars which held him in. He started shouting. "Let me out!" He knew someone would come and tell him to shut up. He knew no one would let him out. But – but this is what he planned. It started with gentle taps. Banging his head on the bars as he shouted. Then as his voice got louder he hit his head harder. He had to be careful; he didn't want to knock himself out. Just make a mess. Cause a fuss.

Spencer felt the skin just on his hairline split and he felt the intense pain as he carried on smacking the wound against the bars. Head wounds bleed a lot. This was deliberate and planned. He was smiling on the inside. He was in control of something.

By the time the guards came running there were screams and shouts "He's killing himself – the paedo is topping himself!" and the blood was spaying nicely with each smack on the head. Well done – good effect. Well thought out and executed and he was giggling now and he could hear something cracking and splintering.

………………

They unlocked his door and pulled him away from the bars. He knew getting blood on them would really bother them so a bit of head shaking was in order as he sent tiny droplets of his life flying around the room. This was so good. This felt right. He knew and it made him laugh. They pulled him down to the floor and he kicked out and clawed with his fingernails and he could hear he was screaming with laughter. He could hear the insane noise he was making, but it seemed ok – all going to plan. He could hear the panic in the voices around him. Calling for the medic. Shouting for help and he could hear the jeering and shouting . Right up to when he felt the needle entered his leg and everything slid sideways and he was falling off the world and he fell gracefully down into the greyness.

…………..

He awoke in pain. His head hurt and he was laying on the floor again. But a different floor. A small square room. A big door with tiny window in it. Shuttered from the other side. He put a hand to his head. There was a huge dressing on it and he could smell antiseptic wash or cream. It reminded him of the smell of hospitals. Carefully he sat up and looked around this new room he was in. A bed and a toilet. That was the entire contents of his new world. Spencer looked down at his hands and saw they were shaking. His throat hurt, he had needle marks in the back of his hands and his chest was in agony. It felt like someone had been stamping on him again. He wasn't sure what had happened. The last thing he could remember was waking up from a dream free sleep.

None of it mattered though. He had done what was asked of him. He was alone. He was in some kind of solitary confinement somewhere. Very likely on suicide watch. He decided to watch the small window on the door. See how often they check up on him. He would have liked a drink, but nothing came sliding under his door. No sounds, nothing and nobody checked up on him

He slid sideways on the cot against the wall and closed his eyes.

Spencer must have been sleeping. He opened his eyes and the room was dimly lit and his hands were wrapped tightly around his knees drawn up tightly to his chest. Someone lay down behind him.

"Well done." The voice he needed to hear. "We can go now."

……………

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**A/N: Ok still a slightly open end…but that is as far as I will go with this. Already went further, much further than I ever intended. Sorry it was so long, but this really had to be done in one lump. Thank you all for sticking with this :c)

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